


Melodies Of Love

by Dt25741



Category: Mother 3, Steven Universe (Cartoon), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And so is everyone else, Arc Words, Canon Welding, Character Study, Chekhov's Gun, Complex villians, Crossover, Deconstruction (Of both Undertale and Steven Universe), Dramedy, Dubious Morality, Earn Your Happy Ending, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lot's of fighting, Our heroes aren't perfect, Parents As People, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reconstruction, Rousseau was right, Team Dynamics, The Power Of Love, The power of friendship, These characters need hugs desperately, These kids are badass, Tragedies of impulsiveness, Tragedy/Comedy, White and Grey Morality, dysfunction junction, headcanons, kids being kids, lots and lots of arc words, poor communication kills, reality ensues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2018-08-23 18:32:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 126,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8338240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dt25741/pseuds/Dt25741
Summary: A boy, born between the world of humans and the world of magic, who has only just begun to discover a legacy that he isn't prepared to inherit. A girl, who, despite thinking herself as one with no significance, finds herself wrapped in adventures that others could only dream of. A girl, a soul filled to the brim with determination, who's mission is to seal the rift between Monster and Man. A boy, with a heart as golden as a sunflower, who once brought the world salvation, but lost everything in the process. A girl, a youth with tremendous power, who's burning spirit hides the tenderness within. These five children, now at the thresholds of their destinies, now find their fates intertwined. No crying until the end, okay?





	1. The Children from Nowhere (part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> I own none of the characters portrayed in this fanfiction. I just came up with this story. All the characters from Undertale belong to Toby Fox. The characters in Steven Universe belong to Cartoon Network, Rebecca Sugar, and Crewniverse. The characters from MOTHER belong to Nintendo, APE, and Shigesato Itoi.  
> With that out of the way, hello dear reader. Welcome to my little corner of the Internet. This story is my first fanwork, and I hope it's something you'll enjoy. I was inspired to write this story when I noticed a lot of similarities in theme and characters in the aforementioned stories, and I thought they would be very compatible. And so, this story was born.  
> As a quick warning, remember this is my first fanfic, so their might be some problems here and there. I am also going to do my best to update the story every Saturday, but I am a slow writer, and I am busy with school, so I hope you'll be patient with me. Constructive criticism is welcome.  
> This story will also contain MAJOR spoilers for the entire MOTHER series, Undertale, and Steven Universe. If you intend to experience one of these works unspoiled, do not read this fanfic.  
> As one last warning, since a lot of elements of Undertale and Mother are open to interpretation, there are going to be a lot of head canons in this story. Furthermore, since this is a crossover fanfic, there is going be a lot of welding of the canons of all three stories, so they will connect in ways they do not in actual canon.  
> For reference, this story takes place after the Pacifist ending of Undertale and a little after the episode, Sworn to the Sword in Steven Universe (so Peridot has not joined them yet).  
> With that out of the way, enjoy the story.

Chapter 1: The Children from Nowhere (Part 1)

Steven knew his target was in his house when he heard the whoosh of the Warp Pad in the living room. He tensed in his perch on the ceiling beam that he made his perch, readying himself to strike.

 “Steven! You know I can sense you.”

 Steven said nothing. Instead, he bent his knees, squinting at the floor beneath him.

 “Come on out, Steven.” He heard the footsteps of his target approaching the room.

 “Steven” A patch of black came out from beneath him.

  “Stevenbomb!” Steven sprang out from his perch, letting gravity pull him down to body slam his kill….

 Only to bounce of the puffy block of black hair that belonged to his guardian. She stopped walking and tilted her head up, staring up at the boy smiling down on her.

 “Got you again, Garnet!” Steven chimed, beaming with pride at his accomplishment.

 A half smile formed on Garnet’s face. “Yeah, you got me” she said, affection in her voice.

 Steven laughed as Garnet picked him up and set him on the ground in front of her.

 “So…did you find them?”

The smile on Garnet’s face faded. “No, Steven. We searched everywhere in that part of the ocean, but any trace of Lapis, Jasper, or Malecite on our mission.”

Steven blinked as his face fell. “Oh…” he sighed. “It’s been more than four months… how much longer do you think they can stay like…that…”

“Normally, four months is nothing to a Gem, especially a fusion. But with a fusion as unstable as theirs…I’m not sure what this amount of time is going to do…” Garnet stopped, noticing the expression on Steven’s face, and smiled again. “Don’t worry, Steven. Lapis is a strong Gem. I’m sure she can take whatever Jasper can throw at her.”

The expression on Steven’s face didn’t change, but he said, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Cheer up, Steven!” Amethyst chimed as she and Pearl walked into the room. “Jasper was wreaked when she fused with Lapis, so there’s no way she could take control of _that_ fusion!”

“Well…” Pearl said, with a finger resting on her chin. “Technically speaking, Lapis was also hurt after Peridot’s ship crashed. She was also likely depraved of rest during her imprisonment in Homeworld, so there’s no guarantee that…”

“Pearl…” Amethyst hissed, through gritted teeth.

Pearl blinked and looked at Steven, as if just noticing that he was there. “O-o-oh! S-s-s-s-Steven” she stammered sheepishly, shaking her hands at Steven profusely. “Well, it _probably_ wouldn’t make that big of a difference Steven! I’m sure Lapis fine, you know? Thousands of feet under the ocean, trapped in an unstable fusion with a violent, enraged Homeworld Gem who’s out for the shards of our gems, who might just…split apart…at… any…moment…” Pearl stopped talking when she released that the rest of the Crystal Gems were staring at her.

Garnet coughed into hand to get everyone’s attention “Steven…Isn’t Connie going to be here soon?”

The light in Steven’s eyes reappeared immediately upon hearing his best friend’s name. “Oh, yeah!” he exclaimed, grinning as he ran across the room to grab his cheeseburger shaped backpack from the wall. “Thanks for reminding, Garnet!” he said as he jumped up to give his guardian the fiercest hug to her torso he could muster in two seconds. Garnet lightly circled arms around him before he broke away and did the same for Amethyst and Pearl.

“See you guys later!” Steven shouted behind him as he ran out the door. The second it closed, Pearl gave a relived sigh and Garnet pinched the bridge of her nose, as if annoyed by something.

“Smooth, Pearl.” Amethyst deadpanned.

“Thank you, Amethyst.” Pearl replied, without the slightest bit of irony in her voice.

….

Much to Steven’s surprise, Connie was a few minutes late for their get together. Usually, Connie made sure to arrive a few minutes early to make sure she wasn’t late for her appointments.

Steven smiled in his seat on the hand of the Gem Temple, his ukulele resting on the thumb next to him. Connie’s caution and insistence on being punctual was always something that endeared her to him. Much like everything else in her life, she threw her absolute best effort in being on time for her friends. Maybe it was this drive for perfection that drew him to Connie to begin with…

The clatter of footsteps shook Steven from his thoughts, along with the advancing sounds of huffing and puffing from a running body. He turned his head behind him, only to come face to face with a pair of dark brown eyes on a dark face.

“I am so sorry I’m late, Steven!” Connie managed to exhale, struggling to catch her breath as she did so. “I got a B- on last Friday’s Pre-Algebra quiz. Mom and Dad made me go over flash cards for twenty minutes before they let me go to bed!”

Steven blinked. “The abacus has that punishment on there?”

Connie sighed. “Yeah. Normally, I don’t get any less than an A on those simple quizzes, but I guess since I’ve been training with Pearl…”

 “You…still haven’t told your mom?”

“No… I’m not sure if I can, Steven. If this is how she’s going to react to a simple B- on a Pre-Algebra quiz that doesn’t even matter, do you really think she’s going to take me training with swords well?”

“Well, you’ve gotta tell her some time!” Steven exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air and putting them down just as quickly. “What if she finds out you’ve been doing this stuff behind her back? She might never let me see you again!”

“I know, Steven….” Connie sighed, eyes looking down sullenly. “I’ll tell her…eventually. But I can’t guarantee that she won’t try to stop me if I do that….

“Connie…”

Connie looked back up at Steven, with a sudden smile on her face. “Let’s not worry about that now. What about you? What’s going in your universe?

Steven sighed and looked down at the ocean below him. “Well…not much. The gems haven’t exactly been home lately…”

Connie frowned. “Are…they still looking for Lapis Lazuli?”

“Yeah… They still haven’t seen a trace of her or Malecite.”

“Well…it’s a big ocean, Steven. I’m sure Lapis is down there somewhere… It’s only a matter of time.”

Steven looked at his best friend through the corner of his eyes. Connie was smiling at him, trying to make the statement _seem_ genuine. Yet…Steven couldn’t help but recall Garnet’s tone voice when she had told her that. The words and smile seemed right, but the tone of voice… was like when his father had tried to calm him down when he was small. Or when Pearl got nervous when he asked about the war. It was clear to him that Connie didn’t really know that it was a matter of time, but was just telling Steven that so he would feel better…

With that in mind, Steven smiled back and said, “Yeah…I guess you’re right.” He reached behind him and pulled his ukulele into his lap. “Sooooo…. What do you say we get this jam session started?”

Connie placed the case she was carrying on the ground and pulled out her violin. “Hold on. Let me tone this thing.” As Connie fiddled around with the pegs and tuners on her instrument, Steven turned his head to face the ocean once again. The sky above was cloudless, allowing the dawn to shine down in its complete colorful radiance.  The water below was calm, save for the occasional tiny wave that churned its way around the rocks by the shore. The ocean was like a giant slab of aquamarine (the gemstone, not the Gem sub species. Not that Steven had ever meet one in person anyway.), with the foam from the tiny waves making white streaks on the surface, and the light of the sun reflecting off the water in golden and orange sparkles.

 _It’s such a beautiful day_ , Steven thought as Connie finished tuning her violin. Steven took a deep breath, inhaling the prickly scent of sea salt, and felt the warm wind caress his face. He looked back down at the ocean, and, when he heard Connie place the bow on her violin, he knew exactly what he wanted to sing about.

Steven placed his guitar in the ready position and started to strum. He spent eight measures just strumming the string, processing the thoughts in his head into music, with Connie playing her violin with his tempo, then sang:

_Oh, waves across the great big shining sea!_

_Can you reveal all your secrets here to me?_

_Can you remember all the miles that you crossed?_

_Can you recover all the things that you have lost?_

_Oh, sea, you’ve been here since the ancient past!_

_But lately the good times don’t seem to last!_

_Like all the smiles on the one’s that I know_

_Oh, the time just seems to flow_

_Before you and your waves brought so much joy._

_But I’m just no longer a boy_

_And your joys fade into the mist_

_Over the ones that everyone’s missed!_

_So, waves across the great big shining sea!_

_Can you reveal all your secrets here to me?_

_Can you remember all the miles that you crossed?_

_Can you recover all the things that we have lost?_

Steven took a little breath when he finished and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he noticed that Connie was staring at him.

“That was…good.” She said. “Though uncharacteristically sad for you.”

Steven slumped his shoulders. “Sorry, Connie.”

Connie immediately backtracked, shaking her hands in denial. “Not that that’s a bad thing, Steven! Music is for expressing yourself after all!”

Steven shrugged. “I guess you’re right” he replied looking back into the ocean. He didn’t really know exactly what he had been thinking. He just played what he felt in his gut, like he usually did. He gave a little sigh, distracting himself with how the sunlight reflected off of the water, shining white and gold and blue and pink….

Wait….pink?

Steven blinked, rubbed his eyes, and then stared back out into the ocean.

“Steven…” Connie said, inquiry clear in her voice.

“There’s something pink in the water.”

Connie blinked. “What?”

“Out there!” Steven pointed. “Near the beach!”

Connie looked to where Steven was pointing, and sure enough, Connie saw a little splash of pink, swirling in the blue of the water. “What is that?” Connie said, squinting as she did so. “It’s way too small to be Lion, and he hates the ocean anyway.”

“I don’t know.” Steven said as the spot of pink was pushed to and fro, back and forth, with the movement of the waves. Slowly but surely, the pink was being pushed toward them, and it was clear that whatever it was, it was going to land on the beach soon.

“Let’s find out what it is!” Steven shouted, standing up as he did so.

…..

By the time Steven and Connie had gotten down to the beach, the pink object had washed onto the shore. As they ran towards it, Steven saw that the pink was only one small part of the object. The rest of the object was blue, with…a rainbow on one part? Steven was confused by that part, but the answer became clear as to why there were so many colors.

“It’s a person!” Steven shouted, shock clear in his voice.

“Oh, my god!” Connie replied. Both children immediately rushed down the person, still partially covered by the passing waves, and dragged them away from the water.  Once that was done, Steven held the unconscious person while Connie checked for vitals.

“The heart is still beating, but… Steven, raise the head! I’m going to do CPR!”

Steven did as he was told, as Connie exhaled into the person’s mouth and did chest compressions. Thankfully, it only took a few compressions for the drowned person to start coughing up.

“Oh, thank God!” Connie said, relief apparent in her voice. Steven felt a weight lift from his chest, as the drowned person started breathing normally. Then, Steven felt a real weight on his chest, as the person pushed against it.

“Let me go” the person gasped out, the voice higher than Steven expected.

“But…you’re still…”

“I’m….fine!” the person gasped again. “Just…let me go!”

“Steven.” Connie said. “Do what she says.”

She? Steven let go, taking a step back to get a look at the one they rescued.

Now that Steven was looking closely, Steven saw that the person was indeed a girl, not much older than himself. She was quite a bit taller than he was, and had a lean and lanky build to her. She was dressed in sky blue hoodie that went down to her knees and pink boots that went up to her ankles. On her chest was a black badge of sorts, with a white mark that was in a shape that Steven didn’t recognize.

But what really got Steven’s attention were her hands and face. The girl didn’t have hair that was like any other human he had seen. No…her hair was…pink. Bright reddish pink hair that stuck out all over the place, and cut rather short. Steven hung around plenty humans with very strange hair, but not one with _naturally pink hair._ Furthermore, while the girl’s face looked normal at first glance, there something…different about her eyes. They were forest green, which wasn’t that unusual, but Steven couldn’t see any pupils, no matter how hard he looked.

Adding to the strangeness of the girl’s appearance was her ribbon of pastel yellow fabric, which was tied in a bow on the side of her head. Not that Steven minded such things, but it didn’t seem to match the general appearance of her outfit. Stranger still were the girl’s gloves, which were rainbow patterned and….glowed. Steven blinked, unsure of what he was looking at, but the gloves were actually glowing, the faint light swirling in the same rainbow pattern that was weaved into the gloves.

Steven looked at Connie, about to ask her something, but one look at his friend told him that she was just as confused as he was.

Steven turned his attention back to the strange girl, whose breathing had become ragged and uneven. “Are…you okay?”

“Where…am I?” the girl said. She tried to take a step toward them, but she stumbled. Steven caught her, pushing her by the shoulders to stand her up straight.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Steven said, doing his best to sound reassuring, as the girl leaned forward into him, head resting on his shoulders. “Take it easy! You’re going to be alright!”

But instead of a verbal response, Steven felt the full weight of the girl fall on him.  He pushed her out slightly to see her face, only to see that her eyes had fallen shut.

“Connie!” Steven yelled, turning to his friend. “We need to get her to the house!”

….

The Gems were rather shocked when Steven and Connie came running into the house, carrying an unconscious girl between them. Pearl’s immediate barrage of questions slowed them down a bit, and Amethyst trying to get in their way and see who they were carrying certainly didn’t help, but they eventually set the girl onto the couch, with her head resting on one of Steven’s pillows. Her breathe was still very ragged, even when they set her down entirely.

“Connie?” Steven asked, worried. “Is she going to be alright?”

Connie placed her head on the girl’s chest, placed her hand on her head, and then turned to Steven. “Her heart beat is fine…but she’s really hot, her breathing is really off, and she seems really exhausted. If she doesn’t come around soon, we should take her to the hospital.”

“How did this happen?” Pearl asked, louder than she intended, stress clear in the high pitch of her voice and hands on her cheeks.

“We don’t know!” Steven replied, shaking his head. “She just washed up on the beach unconscious. She woke up for a little bit, but she didn’t seem to know where she was, and then she fainted.”

“Huh.” Amethyst grunted, as she just watched something mildly amusing. “That’s weird. Why was she unconscious in the ocean? Shouldn’t she have drowned or something?”

“Probably.” Connie answered. “Though thankfully that didn’t happen.”

“I don’t think we will have to wait that long for answers.” The sound of Garnet’s voice drew everyone’s attention near the door, where the Crystal Gems’ leader stood, leaning against a wall.

Steven blinked. “Do…you see that in your future vision? Will she wake up soon?”

Garnet gave Steven a small smile, adjusting the glass on her face as she did so. “Why don’t you try using healing again, Steven? Let’s see what happens.”

“Really?” Steven hesitated, looking down at his feet and twiddling his thumbs in his hands. “But…. are you sure it’s going to work?”

“Believe me, Steven.” Garnet replied, the light from ceiling flashing across her glasses for a second. “I’m sure.”

Connie turned to Steven and said, “I think we should try it, Steven. I’m sure it will work too, and even if it doesn’t, no harm will be done.”

Steven blinked at her, and the expression on his face turned serious, “Okay. Let’s do it.”

“You can do it, Steven!” Amethyst chanted from her place from the backing of the couch, hanging above the girl.

Steven turned to the girl and closed his eyes, taking a moment to focus. His thoughts were derailed immediately when he heard Pearl say, “Now remember. Try to concentrate on the feelings that made your powers work the last time. I believe that’s the key to…”

“Pearl…” Garnet and Amethyst groaned, not even trying to hide their annoyance.

“Sorry! Sorry! Just…you can do it Steven!” Steven could practically hear the awkward thumbs up and goofy Pearl was giving him in her voice, and he giggled slightly at the image.

Steven open his eyes, and licked his hand, making sure to get a good coat of saliva over it. As he did so, he remembered the time that he fixed Connie’s eyesight, and when he fixed Lapis Lazuli’s cracked gem. True, his healing might not have worked since the incident with his father, but right now, someone needed his help, and even if Steven didn’t know this girl, she wanted her to be okay. He _needed_ to make this girl well again. He opened his eyes, feeling everyone’s eyes upon him, tension from himself and his friends filling the room.

Once he coated his hand, Steven stepped forward, thinking “ _Please! Get well!”_ and pressed his hand against the girl’s head.

Nothing happened.

Steven wasn’t entirely shocked, but he still couldn’t help exhaling in disappointment, or noting the release of tension from his Gem guardians and Connie. “Aww…it didn’t work.”

Steven felt Connie’s hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Connie looking at him. “You did your best, Steven. That’s all we can ask for.”

Steven didn’t reply, turning his face back towards the girl’s and closed his eyes, not bothering to keep the storm of thoughts from roaring in his head. _Come on! Please! Why won’t you work? Did I do something wrong? Please, I just want to help this person…so please….”_

Then, out of nowhere, Steven felt a warm tingle in between his fingers. His eyes snapped open, and he saw his spit, covering his hand and pressing itself on the girl’s forehead, was glittering with blue and pinkish light. Steven’s eyes wide in shock. He almost didn’t hear Connie gasping in wonder beside him, or Garnet’s confident grunt that seemed to say _What did I tell you?_ or Amethyst’s excited “Woah-ho-ho!”, or Pearl’s triumphant cry of “You did it!”

Steven saw that the girl’s breathing became steadier and that she was no longer sweating. Then, the girl gave a content sigh, and a smile formed on her lips.

When the glitter in his hands faded, there was no trace of the spit on the girl’s forehead or Steven’s hand. The warmth was gone. Connie gave Steven a little nudge, and he stepped to the side. Connie put her hand on the girl’s chest and placed her head on her chest. Then, she turned to face Steven and the Gems, with a big grin on her face.

“The fever’s gone!” she exclaimed. “And her breathing is back to normal!”

Steven heard Amethyst and Pearl cheer for him, and found himself laughing when Amethyst picked him and threw him up and down a few times in celebration. When Pearl made Amethyst set him down, he saw Garnet walk over the group, beam at him behind her glasses.

“I knew you could do it.” Garnet said, ruffling Steven’s hair as she did so.

“Well…thank you for believing in me, everyone!” Steven replied, feeling the stars form in his eyes as the joy ran through his being.

Garnet smiled at him one last time before turning to face the sleeping girl. “She’ll wake up in a little bit. Then, you can see what you can find out about her.”

...

Steven went into the kitchen to make some sandwiches for Connie, himself, and the girl, when she woke up. After that stressful few minutes, they deserved some snacks.

Steven hummed to himself as he placed the peanut butter and jelly on the slices of bread in front him.  He was happy. His healing spit had finally worked. That power hadn’t worked since his father had pretended that his powers hadn’t worked on his broken leg. Maybe he really was getting the hang of his own powers. If he could keep this up, then maybe he could become as good as his mother…

Steven continued humming as he put up the strawberry jelly and peanut butter away on the counter above him. _I’ll have to tell Dad that I’ve gotten my powers back. He’ll be so happy! And he won’t feel guilty about faking being hurt anymore! I mean, it wasn’t good for him to do that and I lost my powers over it, but hey! No permanent harm done! And he only did it because he wanted to spend time with me! It’s not his fault that we don’t hang out as often…_

Steven grabbed the plate of sandwiches and went back into the living room. There, he saw Connie sitting on the cushion next where their mysterious girl was laying down.

“Sandwiches!” Steven chimed.

“Oh!” Connie turned to face Steven, who had placed the plate in front of Connie and sat down on the floor. “Thank you! I did not realize how hungry I was until we came inside!” Connie sprang from her sat, came down into the floor next to Steven, and grabbed two sandwiches. Steven did the same, and was just about start stuffing his face, when he heard a moan erupt from the couch.

Steven and Connie turned, and sure enough, the pink-haired girl was starting to stir. She pressed the back of her hand onto her forehead, as she opened her (still without pupils, Steven noticed) eyes. “Where…. Where am I?”

“You’re awake!” Steven exclaimed, a huge, goofy grin appearing on his face.

“I…can see that” the girl managed to groan out. “But where am I?”

“You’re in my house! Connie and I found you washed up on the beach, so we took you to my house!”

“How are you feeling….well, what’s your name?” Connie asked. She gave a smile, trying to be reassuring, but she couldn’t keep the concern out of her voice.

“Name?” The girl sat up in her seat, still holding her head.

“Yeah!” Steven chimed. “We never got your name when we were on the beach with you! What is it?”

“My…name…” The girl looked down at them, as if confused by the word.

“Yeah, your name!”

“I…don’t… I don’t know…”

“You don’t know?” Steven gasped.

“Ohhhh no….” Connie groaned. “Okay then, do remember how you ended up in the ocean then?”

“Nn…no” the girl replied, placing her hands onto her temples.

“Do remember where you were before you feel into the ocean?”

“No”

“Do you remember anyone that you know? I’m sure that they’re probably worried about you…”

“No”

Steven blinked, worry forming in his belly. “Do you…remember anything?”

The girl turned to look at him. “No.”

…….

There was a mild uproar in the house after that little statement. Connie rushed to find the nearest phone before Steven could remind her that the Crystal Gems didn’t have a house phone. For her trouble, Connie ran face first into Garnet, who had just entered the room with the other Crystal Gems. After a moment of rubbing her head and briefly telling the Gems about the strange girl’s loss of memory, Connie grabbed Steven’s cell phone and walked into the kitchen to call the hospital (AKA: her mother).

Meanwhile, the Steven and the rest of Gems were keeping the girl company in the living room, with Steven and Amethyst sitting on either side of her on the couch, and Garnet and Pearl remaining standing, looking contemplative.

Amethyst seemed particularly interested in the new girl. She kept asking the girl questions, usually related to something she was wear or where she was from. Seeing as the girl had amnesia, this went as well as one would think.

“So…. where did you get those shiny rainbow gloves?” Amethyst asked, pointing to the girl’s gloves.

“I don’t know.” The girl replied,

“What’s the thing on that plastic on your chest?” Amethyst asked, pointing her the black badge.

“I don’t know.” The girl replied, irritation slipping into her voice.

“Who did your hair?

“Who…what?” The girl pinched the bridge of her nose, head lowering like she was in pain.

“Amethyst…” Steven warned.

“Well…” Amethyst tried to backtrack. “I only meant that someone had to do it. How else could your hair be that color?”

“The color was always like this.” The girl replied, looking down while stroking a curl of her pink hair.  “I think.”

“But….”Amethyst stared at the girl blankly. “You’re a human. They don’t have hair colors like that.” Amethyst looked at Steven and the other two gems, as if asking for confirmation.

“Amethyst…” Pearl groaned, as Connie walked back into the living room. “Can you please stop interrogating the human with no memories?”

“What? I’m just trying to get to know her better.”

“I can understand that.” Steven said. “But it’s kind of hard to get to know someone when they don’t know anything about themselves.”

“That sounds like something off a fortune cookie.” The pink-haired girl said, and then blinked.

“Oh!” Steven chimed, with stars in his eyes. “You remember something.”

“Oh, joy!” The girl replied sarcastically. “I recalled the existence of a glutton filled junk food! _That’s super helpful!_ ”

“Calm down.” Garnet said, walking towards the crowd by the couch. “Connie, what did your mother say?”

Connie cleared her throat before speaking. “Well, after spending the first five minutes congratulating me for giving proper CPR, mom said we should send her to the hospital ASAP. The doctor would probably check for head trauma and see if she can remember anything significant. If she could, we would notify her next of kin. If she didn’t…well, do you have any identification on you…?”

The girl shrugged and said, “No.”

“No ID? No credit card?”

“Credit…Card?” the girl replied, cocking her head to the side.

Connie groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Of course not. That’d be too easy. If that’s the case, then….”

“Uhh!” The girl shouted in pain and slammed her hands onto the side of her head.

“What’s wrong?” Connie yelled.

“Headache…” The girl groaned. “Really sudden, painful headache. And your shouting is _not_ helping me….”

“Headache? What…?”

Before Connie could finish her thought, suddenly Steven felt the ground beneath him shake, and he fell against Garnet. Before he could register what was happening, both Connie and the strange girl feel against the couch and the other Gems were struggling to stay on their feet.

“E-e-e-e-e-e-e-earthquake!” Steven managed to force out, though he could barely hear himself over the rumble of the earth. He pressed his face against Garnet’s chest, as the rumbling continued.

Over the quake, Steven heard Garnet yell to Pearl and Amethyst, “Get the kids!” and felt Garnet carry him out the door. His breath hitched as Garnet leaped up and landed on the beach below his house.

However, just as suddenly as the quake began, it stopped. As Steven regained his breath, he heard Pearl and Amethyst land next to Garnet and Pearl exclaim, “What on Earth was that?”

“What on Earth indeed….” Garnet replied, as she set Steven down at the same time Amethyst and Pearl put down their children.

“Do....earthquakes happen often?” the girl asked.

“No…” Connie said. “Not unless something magical is happening.”

“True.” Pearl said, with a finger on her chin in thought. “But those tremors came from deep in the Earth. If I didn’t know any better, I would say it was a natural earthquake. But that can’t be right. Beach City isn’t located near a tectonic plate.”

“Then the cause couldn’t have been natural.” Garnet concluded. “But what could make an earthquake so deep…” The glasses on Garnet’s eyes flashed a bit, and Steven knew right then she had thought of something. “Wait…do you guys sense that?”

Steven blinked… and immediately knew what Garnet was talking about. The air around them was buzzing, like someone had tied guitar strings onto his gem and started wailing away at them.

Apparently the other Gems felt it too, because they started looking around themselves, confused by the change.

“Uhhh….” A familiar groaning turned Steven’s attention back to the strange girl, who was rubbing the temple of her head with her fingers. “What’s this pressure?”

Garnet looked at the girl. “You can feel it too?”

“Yeah. Whatever _it_ is it’s giving me one hell of a headache.”

“I…don’t feel anything.” Connie said, looking between all of them for clarification.

“How bizarre.” Pearl said, ignoring Connie. “It’s magic. I haven’t felt magic like this since….”

At whatever thought Pearl was thinking, her eyes widened in panic, and she hastily turned her head to her leader. “Garnet…you don’t think…”

“I know, Pearl.” Garnet replied, adjusting her glasses. “I haven’t felt this sort of energy since before Amethyst emerged. Since…”

“What are you guys talking about?” Connie asked, concern in her voice.

Garnet and Pearl looked at each other. From their expressions, Steven could tell that they _really_ wanted to keep something hidden from him….again. He groaned in his head. He was getting tired of not knowing important details. He was tired of not knowing because “he wasn’t ready.” Especially because whatever this thing they were feeling was, Garnet and Pearl were scared of it. If that was the case, then the situation was going to be trouble for everyone involved.

“Guys…” Steven said. Whatever this thing was, Steven didn’t want the Gems leaving him in the dark again. Even if the Gems thought they were protecting him….he didn’t want them to face danger alone.

“Steven….”Garnet begin. “Do you remember the story about Mt. Ebott?”

“Uhhh….” Steven looked down at the sand, trying to recall that old fairytale.

“If I remember right…” Connie finished for him. “A long time ago, before humans started recording their history in writing, we lived alongside with another race.”

“Another race?” Steven asked. “You mean…besides Gems?”

Connie nodded. “Humans had a lot of names for this race. The Fair Folk. The Other Crowd. The Good Neighbors. Fairies. Monsters…. Regardless of what we called them, they were blessed with powerful magic.”

“Really?” Steven exclaimed, stars forming in his eyes. “That’s so cool! Why haven’t we heard of them?”

“Because we humans wiped them out.” Connie replied grimly, wiping the smile clean off of Steven’s face. “The ones we didn’t kill, we sealed drove into the caves under Mt. Ebott. There, seven wizards sealed the entrance of the mountain with a magic spell.”

“But… but…” Steven blubbered, looking down at the sand and holding his head in his hands. He couldn’t believe it. Why would humans do such a thing? What did the monster do for the humans to do that? He looked back up at Connie when he realized he had said his thought out loud.

“Steven…we were afraid of them.” Connie said. “We didn’t live with the Gems at the time, so we weren’t used to magic.  And if the legends are true…then these creatures had powers unlike anything we’ve seen.”

“But what does that have to do with now?” the girl demanded, straightening up her back and looking at the Gems.

Pearl looked down at ground, fingers resting in her mouth, before taking a deep breath. “That energy we were feeling….it was magic unlike anything we’ve seen in a long time. The last time we’ve felt it was when the monsters were sealed away.”

“Wait…” Connie stepped forward, hand on her head. “So the legends were true?”

Garnet nodded. “Believe us. We were there when the monsters got sealed away. All of their magic was sealed underground. Nothing we knew could escape the wizards’ seal. So if we’re feeling their magic…”

“Then the seal is broken.” Steven finished.

Garnet nodded in conformation.

“Then that’s a good thing!” Steven exclaimed. “They’re free after so long! And we’ll have a huge group of friends with magic like us!”

The fearful look that Pearl gave him immediately derailed his hopes, as she got down on her knees and placed her hands on his shoulders. “I would like to think that, Steven. The monsters we knew were kindhearted and noble. They didn’t deserve to be sealed away. But that was thousands of years ago. During that time, the monsters we knew might be gone, and the new monsters might not like humans for sealing them away for so long. And even though humans are used to magic because of us Gems, they might still hate monsters because of their differences. If the monsters are actually free now…”

“There might be bloodshed.” Garnet finished, what little Steven could see of her face grim.

Steven blinked, and looked at the water ocean. Another war between humans and these monsters? Just when the monsters just came out? But…humans were different now. Sure, some of them were jerks, but most of them, like his father and everyone else in Beach City were such good people. They always adapted to change, if they had the chance. If the monsters were free, then surely they could get along with humans…. Could they?

Steven looked down at gut and place his hand on his belly. There, he felt his mother’s rose quartz gem underneath his shirt. _If there really was a war between them, you wouldn’t just let it happen again, would you?_ He thought. _You said that there was beauty in everything, even in things where people didn’t see it. If that’s true, then that would be true for these monsters right? If I could see for myself…_

Steven gripped the gem tighter. He knew what he wanted to do. He looked up at Garnet and smiled. “Well? Let’s get going!”

…..

The five of them ran back into the house, with the strange girl lagging a little behind. By the time they were up the stairs, the girl was gasping for breath, leaning on the door for support.

“Wait…” She gasped. “Slow down…”

“You’re still not feeling well, are you?” Connie asked, as Steven got his backpack and went to the refrigerator to get supplies.

“Uhh… I still have a headache.” The girl replied. “Whatever that magic is, it hurts.”

“Weird. I don’t feel anything.”

“What’s so weird about that?”

“Steven and the Gems are… well, Gems. They’re magical beings by nature, so it makes sense that they would feel it. You’re a human, so why are you…”

“Whatever the case is, she’s staying here.” Garnet said, with a tone of finality.

“Wait, what?” the girl said, pushing Connie aside and marching up to Garnet. “Why?”

“You’re an untrained human with no memory and you’re weak.” Garnet said simply.

“There are _monsters_ coming from the mountains and you want me to _stay put_?” the girl yelled.

“You’ll be safe here.” Steven said. He walked up the girl and put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. As soon as we talk to the monsters, we’ll come back and get you. We’ll get to the hospital and find you a home. Just don’t worry, okay?”

Steven gave the biggest, most reassuring smile he could, and, though she seemed to hesitate at first, the pink haired girl gave a small smile back. “O…okay…”

“Good!” Pearl piped up. “Connie, do you have your sword in case things go south?”

“Yeah…” Connie replied nervously, as she holstered the training cutlass over her shoulder.

Steven looked her, raising an eyebrow. Connie sighed and looked down at the floor. “I…really don’t want to use this… Not on things that can think…”

“If you don’t want to go, then you don’t have to.” Steven replied as sympathetically as possible. Using the swords on Holo-Pearls was one thing, but putting Connie in a situation where she had to use them on creatures that were like people, where she had a great chance of getting hurt…

Connie shock her head and looked Steven in the eyes, her eyes full of determination. “No, Steven. These are people that haven’t been seen in thousands of years. I can’t just stand by while Earth’s future is going to change. And if they mean to harm the Earth…” Connie tightened the grip on her sword before continuing. “Then, what have I been training for, ya know? I’ll fight to protect my home.”

Steven didn’t like the fact that Connie was joining them, or that she would be willing to hurt other people, but the look in Connie’s eyes told him there was no arguing.

“Hopefully, you won’t have to, Connie.” Garnet said, looking at her as warmly as she could through her glasses. Then, just quickly as the look came, it left, leaving an emotionless expression. “Let’s go, team.”

“Right!” Everyone chanted at the same time as they ran to the Warp Pad at the back of the room, leaving the girl by the couch. Once they were all on the circle of crystal, Garnet said “Pearl, do the honors.”

Steven nodded, looked to the girl, and waved to the girl. “Bye! Have a great day!”

The girl looked at him as the pad hummed, signaling its activation. Then, without warning, the expression on her face hardened, her tiny smile turning to fierce glare, like a tiger that had just seen its prey.

As quick as a flash, the girl ran to the Warp Pad as it started to glow. The girl shouted, “Screw you guys! I’m going with you!” as she jumped and landed on the pad.

“Wait, stop!” Steven exclaimed. But it was too late. The Pad flashed with white light, warping the Crystal Gems and the strange girl into the unknown.


	2. The Children From Nowhere (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the base of Mount Ebott, while the Monsters are discussing the matters of their newfound freedom, Frisk contemplates her journey before, when a mysterious voice calls to her...  
> No crying until the end, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the purposes of this story, Frisk will be portrayed as a female. Before you get up in arms, let me make it clear that I think that Frisk could be any gender: male, female, trans, non-binary or anything in between. Toby Fox made it clear that Frisk’s gender was meant to be ambiguous so that the player could imagine any gender they feel is appropriate. It’s just for this story, I’m making her a girl. Don’t kill me. Okay?

Ever since she was little, Frisk was fascinated by the sun. That little golden ball in that shined down on the Earth, filling the planet with its energy. Even on the days when the night had come, both figuratively and literally, it would always return the next day to brighten her world. At dawn, Frisk would often climb the roof of her house to watch the sun rise, entranced by the fiery shades and hues that it made as it rose above the Earth. She always felt so…refreshed whenever the sun came out.

Now, as she stepped outside of the Underground and into the literal light at the end of the tunnel, she felt reborn. All of the things that she had suffered in the land of the monsters, all the times she had gotten hurt, nearly killed, or actually killed, had been leading up to this moment.

To the moment where she escaped the Underground. And this time, she would escape with everyone she loved.

Frisk stepped out of the cave and onto the cliff of the mountain. There, for the first time in a long while, she saw the sun with her own eyes, setting over the ocean in the distance, in between the other mountain and the city in the distance. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the star in the horizon, as its rising light illuminated the earth in front of her with a red-orange glow.

Frisk knew she wasn’t the only one who was entranced by sun rise. After all, the people who were following her out had never seen a sunset. Though…calling them people would probably not win her much approval with many humans.

“Oh my…” Toriel gasped, as she stepped by Frisk’s side. Though she tried to contain herself, Frisk could see the indescribable joy at seeing the sun for the first time in who knows how long in her crimson eyes.

“Isn’t it beautiful, everyone?” Frisk heard King Asgore ask, barely keeping the deep sob of joy out of his voice.

“Wow…” Dr. Alphys gasped, so softly that Frisk could barely hear. “It’s even better than on TV. WAY better! Better than I ever imagined!”

“Frisk, you LIVE with this!?” Undyne shouted, running up to the cliff side with them. “The sunlight is so nice…and the air is so fresh! I really feel alive!”

“HEY SANS…” Papyrus chimed, his voice as loud as ever, despite the magnitude of the moment he was in. “WHAT’S THAT GIANT BALL?”

 “we call that the sun, my friend.” Sans replied in a mellow tone. If Frisk hadn’t known Sans as well as she did (and even then there were a lot of things she didn’t know about the small skeleton), she would think that he didn’t care that he was out of the Underground for the first time in his life.

 “THAT’S THE SUN!?” Papyrus shrieked at the top of his nonexistent lungs, making Asgore, Toriel, and Frisk cringe from the sound. “WOWIE! I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M FINALLY MEETING THE SUN!”

“I could stand here and watch this for hours….” Asgore said, his eyes watching the sunset in wonder.

“Yes…” Toriel replied. “It is beautiful, is it not?” She then coughed into her hand to get everyone’s attention. “But we should really think about comes next.”

“Oh, right.” Asgore said, blinking to break his entrancement from the sun. “Everyone…This is the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and Monsters…”

Frisk gave silent sigh at the tone of finality in that statement. An era of peace between the two races probably wasn’t going to be as easy as Asgore and Toriel think it will be. Sure, the humans had improved in many ways in thousands of years, but her species still had a long way to go. It’s going to take a lot of work from both sides to make peace. After this time, Frisk just wanted to spend time with her new friends in peace. But in order for that to happen…

“Frisk….” Asgore began, turning to face her. Frisk thought she was pretty tall for a twelve-year-old girl, but Asgore’s massive size made her feel tiny. “I have something to ask of you.”

“Yes, your majesty?” Frisk replied as politely as she could, doing her best to forget that Asgore was trying have her killed the entire time she was in the Underground. Not that he didn’t have understandable reasons for doing so… and besides, if he knew of all things that _she_ had done…

“Ho-ho-ho-ho.” Asgore gave a hearty laugh from the base of his throat. “Please, just call me Asgore. Anyway…Frisk, will you act as your ambassador to the humans?”

Frisk didn’t even have to think about the answer. “Yes. Yes, I’ll do it!”

“YEAH!” Papyrus yelled in his excitement. “FRISK WILL BE THE BEST AMBASSADOR! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS…. WILL BE THE BEST MASCOT! I’LL GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!” And with that, Papyrus ran down the cliff side, heading into the direction of the city.

“welp…” Sans said, stretching out his bones before putting his hands into his pocket. “someone’s gotta keep him from getting into trouble.” Sans gave a wink, saying “see you guys”, and walked off in the completely opposite direction. Frisk wasn’t worried though. She knew that Sans would get Papyrus much more quickly his way.

Apparently, Undyne disagreed. “Man, do I have to do EVERYTHING?!” she shouted, and ran off in Papyrus’s direction. “Papyrus, wait!!!”  

“Hey, Undyne!!” Dr. Aphys shouted after her, running off in the same direction. “Wait up!!”

“Whoops.” Asgore said, and turned to Frisk and Toriel. “Uh, should I do something?” he asked, clearly confused.

 If looks could kill, then Asgore would have died from the glare Toriel gave him.

“Well, gotta go!” Asgore hastily said, and ran off, leaving Frisk and Toriel alone on the cliff. A wise choice, if Frisk had ever seen one.

“It seems that everyone is quite eager to set off.” Toriel said. Frisk couldn’t argue with that, and she couldn’t blame them. All of the Monsters just had an entire world opened to them. Of course they would be eager to explore it all.

They were silent for a moment. Toriel shifted her feet as she spoke again. “Frisk…You came from this world, right?”

Frisk nodded in response. If Toriel was going where she thought she was…

“So you must have a place to return to, do you not? What will you do now?”

Frisk looked down to the ground, gathering her thoughts. In a way, Toriel was right. She did have a place that she _could_ return to. If she wanted to, she could leave the Monsters. She could leave place where she had faced so much danger and pain, where she faced death many times. She could go back to her parents….

Her parents….

Frisk mentally shook her head. No, she wouldn’t go back. She could…but…

But then she would be leaving her friends Papyrus and Undyne, who were so energetic and passionate and tackled life with all their might. She could leave Alphys, who was so unsure of herself but so smart and sweet. She would be leaving Sans, who had always looked after her, even at her worst. She would leave Asgore, who, despite all the bad things he had done, had always tried to do his best for everyone, and was trying his damnest to make up for what he had done. She would be leaving Toriel, who had greeted Frisk with such kindness and love when she fell down into the Underground.

That was more than her old home had ever offered her.

Frisk looked up at Toriel and said, “I want to stay with you.”

Toriel was taken aback. “What? But… Frisk…” She was silent for moment and then she smiled. “You really are a funny child. If you had said that earlier, none of this would have happened. It is a good thing you took so long to change your mind.”

Toriel gave a light chuckle, and continued, “Well…I suppose. If you really do not have any other place to go…I will do my best to take care of you, for as long as you need.”

Frisk smiled, and looked back at the sunset, so Toriel wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes.

“Alright…” Toriel said, gripping Frisk’s hand, “Now come along.”

Together, they walked down the cliff side, as the dawn broke in the horizon.

….

The moment was killed when everyone remembered the hundreds of other Monsters back in the Underground, who were probably even more eager to go outside than they were. By the time the group had reformed and gone back to the cliff side, dozens of other Monsters had gotten out, and they had to spend nearly a quarter of an hour finding the missing Monsters.

Once that was taken care of, Toriel and Asgore had a brief argument about what to do next. Toriel believed that the rest of the Monsters should stay in the Underground while a small party and Frisk went to the nearest city to negotiate with the humans there. Asgore on the other hand, thought that the monsters had waited long enough, and that the whole race could head out, so long as they made it clear that they meant no harm. Of course, Asgore being the pushover that he was, eventually conceded to Toriel’s point, and agreed that he, Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, and Undyne would accompany Frisk to the city, while Alphys and her…. friend (for lack of a better word) Metatton would temporarily watch over the Monsters while the king was gone.

Frisk could only pray that Metatton wouldn’t torch the Underground and remake it in his own flamboyant, pink image while he was in charge.

Meanwhile, while Asgore and Toriel were sorting out what the party would do when they reached the city, Frisk mostly kept to her own thoughts, occasionally listening in for a clue as to what was to happen. Unfortunately, most of the conservations amounted either to Toriel laying out all the plans herself while Asgore simply nodded and listened, or Toriel getting irritated at Asgore for “not listening” or “saying something foolish.”  

Frisk could only grimace at the display. She loved Toriel, but it really seemed that she was too wrapped up in all the details that either didn’t matter, or that she couldn’t control. True, making peace between two races that had a history of hostility was no small matter, but it wasn’t like they could plan to the last detail. Besides, Frisk actually thought that Asgore had a few good points that shouldn’t have been ignored.

Once Frisk told her that, Toriel blinked, took a deep breath, and agreed with her. After that, the conversation between the king and former queen went a little more smoothly, though Frisk could still feel the lingering hostility and awkwardness between the two. _Well…_ she thought. _So long as they aren’t at each other’s throats for now. Still, if they both want to raise me, they’re going to have at least tolerate each other…_

After Frisk took care of that mess, she waited for the rest of her party on a rock by the base of the mountain. She wasn’t bored however, because the forest was alive with the sounds of birds that had just awoken to the breaking of dawn. At the moment, Frisk couldn’t imagine a more beautiful sound. Having spent so much time in the Underground, where the only other sounds of life were the sounds of Monsters, it was fantastic to hear something that wasn’t from there. It helped to remind her that the worst was certainly behind her. She had won, and she got everyone out of their underground prison so they can enjoy the best that life had to offer….

Well…. almost everyone.

Frisk gripped the cap of her knees, as she tried to focus on the green of the tree leaves to stop her train of thought. Unfortunately, she couldn’t repress the hollow feeling building in her gut. That, in spite of everything she had suffered, she had let everyone down. That, in spite all of her effort, she failed her mission.

 _No…_ she tried to reassure herself. _He didn’t want to go… And he ran away when you tried to make him go. No matter how many times you repeated it, you couldn’t save him. After all this time, we need to focus on finding peace between humans and Monsters…_

**_Are you really so foolish as to believe that peace is going to occur between the two races? Humans and Monsters are fundamentally incompatible. Humans are sinful. Selfish. Ignorant. Hateful. Afraid of anything that is different from themselves. The minute they see something that threatens their precious status quo, they pounce at it with all the ferocity of a tiger. It will be the same for the Monsters. Unless the humans are gone…._ **

_No!_ Frisk shouted in her mind, repressing the feeling this time. _Humans can change. We’ve always changed when something new comes into our lives. It’ll be the same with this! If we just stay determined, we can…_

_**Isn’t that what you said when we tried to save him?** _

Frisk couldn’t answer that question. When she realized she couldn’t, she sobbed. When she realized she sobbed, she tried to stop herself, but all she managed to do was sob even harder. Hot tears fell from her eyes.

As she sat on the rock, crying and sobbing, fighting desperately to maintain control of her own thoughts, her own conscious rang out in the turbulence. _I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve to have a new home. I don’t deserve to represent these people. I don’t deserve this happy ending. Not after everything I’ve done. Not after failing him. If I really wanted to make everyone’s lives better, I should just…_

“frisk?” a familiar voice gently called, bringing Frisk back to reality. In front of her was Sans, standing with a hunched back, staring at her with concerned look in his eye sockets.

They stood there for a second, just staring at each other. Frisk tried to speak, but her nerves were so wired and her throat was so sore from sobbing that all she did was squeak. To her embarrassment, Frisk had to resort to using hand signs to respond. “Sans?” she signed.

Sans blinked, and gave a lighthearted chuckle. “gotta _hand_ it to ya, kid. not even two minutes into your career as ambassador, and you’re sure showin the _signs_ that this jobs gonna be the death of ya.”

Sans puns were as terrible as usual. And as usual, Frisk found herself laughing at them. She didn’t know why, but she supposed that there was something about Sans’s puns that were so silly, so childish, and so… pathetically bad, that she couldn’t help but laugh. As she saw Sans’ eyes light up, and his smile widen, she felt some of the pressure in her gut lift.

But the pressure didn’t leave entirely. Where her laughter died down, there was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Sans spoke again. “so, kid…ya gonna tell me what’s buggin ya? for someone who just saved the entire Monster race, you don’t seem like you’re having a good time.”

Frisk flinched at that statement before replying, her voice stammering. “I’m sorry, Sans. But…I don’t deserve that praise. Especially from you…”

To Frisk’s surprise, Sans gave burst into laughter at that. “what are you talking about, kid?” Sans asked, although there was some concern in his voice despite the chuckling. “if there’s anyone who deserves to be praised, it’s you. you’ve gone out of your way to free everyone in the underground, even though there were monsters that tried to kill ya. hell, you even managed to survive and get us out without even taking a single life.”

“But, Sans…” Frisk stammered out. “What if I can’t help you guys survive out here with the humans? There are good people in this world, but not everyone’s going to…”

Sans put his skeletal hand on Frisk’s shoulder. Since his hand was made of bone, it didn’t exactly feel as comforting as a hand belonging to a person of flesh and blood. Still, Frisk couldn’t help but appreciate the effort.

“frisk” Sans continued. “if there’s anyone who can make peace between our races, it’s you. besides…” Sans smile became wider. “you’re not gonna be doin this thing alone, kid. you’ve got toriel, asgore, undyne, alphys, and especially pap at your side. they’re not gonna let you face this world on your own. so you don’t need to worry, kid. we’ve got your back.”

Frisk nodded, though she still felt the pit at the base of her stomach.

Sans held out his hand, and when Frisk took it, he pulled her up. “come on, kid. let’s see how the others are doin.”

Frisk nodded, but as Sans started walking, a thought occurred to her. “Sans?” she called.

Sans stopped, but didn’t turn around.

Frisk continued. “I’m sorry… For everything.”

Sans chuckled. “whatcha talkin about, frisk?”

“I’m sorry about…. you know…”

Sans whirled on Frisk, and his eye sockets, usually lit with the light of his eyes, were completely empty. “ **Don’t**.” he growled, his voice much deeper than usual.

Frisk flinched and stumbled back a few steps. Her heart leapt to her chest, and her breathe became heavy and labored, as memories of the times when Sans looked at her that way force their way through her mind. Like when Sans told Frisk that he would have killed her on the spot if she hadn’t promised Toriel otherwise. Or the time when they were standing across from each other in a golden hallway, feeling her sins crawling down her back. Sans eyes blank as he raised his hand. Sharp bones surrounding her as they flew their way into her chest…

 Sans blinked when he saw the expression on Frisk face and the light immediately returned to his eyes. He sighed, as he continued, his voice still deep and distorted. **“Frisk, please don’t ruin this. We’ve made it out. We’ve won. We have a whole new world ahead of us. A whole new life. Everyone is happy, so please…don’t ruin this for everyone.”**

Frisk swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. She was scared, but she understood that Sans was too. And after everything she had done to him, she deserved his scorn.

Sans sighed, and then smiled at her again. “c’mon, babybones.” he said, his voice normal again. “let’s go.” Frisk nodded again, and started to follow the skeleton…

And fell on her knees, with a groan. A loud, garbling voice started to fill her conscious, with such speed that she lost control of her body.

“frisk?” Sans turned to Frisk, and ran to her, eye lights full of concern again “what’s wrong?”

“Head…” Frisk groaned. “Voice…in my head…”

“Voice? **”** Sans gasped, panic starting to creep into his voice. **“** No… no, no, no, no! C’mon, Frisk! That can’t be! You said she wouldn’t bother us again! **”**

“No….” Frisk replied, steadying her breathing and looking up to face Sans. “I don’t think it’s her. There isn’t any anger or hate in the voice.”

 **“** W-w-what? **”**

“Yeah…” Frisk muttered, and held her head with one hand. The shock and pain from the voice entering her mind was fading. Slowly but surely, she was starting to hear the voice more clearly. “And…it sounds like a…boy.”

 **“** A boy? **”**

Frisk looked into Sans’ eye sockets, as she concentrated on listening to the voice echoing in her head. “He’s saying…”

_Help….me…._

Frisk sprung from her knees, making Sans jump back in surprise. Frisk ignored him though, as she looked around, trying to look for the source of the voice. “What?” she said aloud.

_Help…me…_

Frisk turned toward the forest. “Help you? But…who are you? What….”

_Please… Somebody…. Anybody…. Please…._

Without any warning, Frisk broke into a run, heading toward the forest. Sans ran after her, with a growl of frustration. **“Frisk? What are you doing?”** he demanded, huffing and puffing as he ran.

“Someone needs our help!” Frisk yelled behind her. “I don’t know how, but the voice is calling me!”

“Oh, sure. Let’s just _listen_ to the strange disembodied voice in your head. **Because that’s worked out so well for us in the past, RIGHT?”**

Frisk ignored him. This voice was not the same voice that had told her do horrible things. No… the voice was scared. And hurt. And somehow, whoever it was talking to her was talking to her in her mind. That could only mean the voice belonged to a Monster, or some other magical being. And as the new ambassador for magical beings, Frisk couldn’t afford to stand by and do nothing.

Frisk stopped so suddenly, Sans nearly ran into her. “Where are you?” she shouted into the woods. “I’m here to help, so please answer!”

For a moment, there was no answer. A brief pang of panic hit Frisk in the chest. Was she too late?

Then, much to her relief, she heard the voice again.

_Please…. help…._

“This way!” Frisk declared, and took off, leaving Sans trialing behind her. Frisk ran as fast as she could, dodging trees and rocks that got in her way. She was getting close. She could feel it from the way the pressure in her mind increased as she ran. Just a little longer…

Frisk ran into a clearing, and stopped dead in her tracks.

In the middle of the clearing, in front of a cluster of sunflowers, was a boy. He looked young, quite a bit younger than Frisk in fact. The boy’s choice in clothes was…strange. He wore a red and yellow stripped shirt, with blue denim shorts, but above that was a red clock with white fur lining. On top of the boy’s head was a crown, made of red fabric with jewel encrusted lining on all four sides of it. In the boy’s hands was a scepter, with a jewel encrusted sphere at the end of it.

Frisk blinked, as she stepped closer to the boy. _Is he…a prince?_ she thought. _But…there isn’t any monarchies in this area. Except for the Monsters, but…_

“Please…” the boy pleaded, stumbling toward Frisk. His voice was weak and cracking, much weaker than he sounded in Frisk’s head. “Help me…”

“Oh my god!” Frisk ran toward him. As she came in front of him, Frisk saw more details that she missed about the boy. She saw that he had a golden ring on the middle finger of his left hand.  Frisk saw that the boy’s hair was as golden as the sunflowers behind him, but it was messy and stock out all over the place, like he hadn’t been taking care of it. On the boy’s chest was a sort of white badge, with a blue lightning bolt running through it, his eyes were a deep blue, but they were glassy and looked far away. And as Frisk looked closer at them, he saw that the boy’s eyes had no pupils…

“Are…you okay?” Frisk asked, beginning with the question with the obvious answer.

“Please…” the boy croaked out, stumbling onto Frisk, his head on her shoulders. “Help…”

“Wait!” Frisk pleaded. “Please…don’t…” But it was too late. The boys closed, and his body slumped against Frisk, lifelessFrisk turned behind her to see Sans, staring at her and the boy. “Sans!” she shouted desperately. “Go get help! Please!”

….

The Monsters had been looking for Frisk when Sans found them. When Toriel and Asgore were informed of Frisk’s location, they immediately ran there.

“Frisk!” Toriel called as she emerged from the woods. “My child! Are you hurt? What happened to you?”

As Toriel came to Frisk and kneeled by her side to see if she was okay, she noticed the boy, unconscious on the ground next to them. “Frisk…who is that?”

“It seems to be an unconscious human boy.” Asgore answered, as he caught up to them.

Toriel glared at him. “I see that, Asgore, but _who is he_? Why is he unconscious?” 

“AND WHY IS HE WEARING A CROWN AND A CAPE?” Papyrus screamed, not even considering that he would wake up the boy. “IS HE ROYALITY, LIKE ASGORE AND TORIEL?”

Frisk shook her head, and managed to speak through the stress. “No…I don’t think so. There aren’t any monarchies in this country or around it. And even if he were from the one of the other countries, why would he be here in the middle of nowhere?”

“WELL…MAYBE HE WANTED TO MEET US!” Papyrus exclaimed. “HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SENT HERE TO START A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH MONSTERS AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

“i hate to burst your bubble, Paps…” Sans replied. “but we literally just came from the Underground a few hours ago. unless one of us has a human’s kingdom on speed dial, I doubt their royalty would meet us.”

“WELL…” Papyrus hesitated, clearly stumped. Then, he perked up, as a new idea appeared in his mind. “PERHAPS HE’S…. HE’S A…. UH…. UHHHH…. UNDYNE! WHAT DID ALPHYS CALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO DRESSED UP AS THOSE CARTOON CHARACTERS? AND PRETENDED THEY WERE THEM?”

“A…cosplayer?” Undyne offered, clearly as confused by the suggestion as everyone else.

“YES! THAT’S WHAT HE IS! A COSPLAYER!”

Asgore gave a deep cough to get the other monster’s attention. “Well, that sounds like a sound theory.” Asgore said, trying to be nice. “But if he were merely pretending to be royalty…then why would his scepter, crown, and ring be made of real gold and jewels?” He emphasized his point with a gentle knock against the scepter.

“Not only that…” Toriel added, placing her hand on the boy’s crown. “There’s…. magic in these objects…”

 “What?” Asgore asked, surprise clear in his voice. The other Monsters looked at Toriel in shock.

“Yes…” Toriel continued, with an air of wonder and disbelief. “The crown…the ring…. the cloak… the scepter…. the badge… They’re all enchanted. And with magic I don’t recognize.”

“how is that possible?” Sans asked, seeming curious for the first Frisk had ever seen him. “humans shouldn’t be able to perform magic…at least, not anymore”

“Well… didn’t humans use magic to seal monsters away?” Frisk asked.

“But child…” Toriel said, looking at Frisk. “You told us that humans didn’t know how to use magic anymore…”

 “Well…I thought that. But this boy…he’s not normal. He…called to me in my head.”

 “What?” Asgore and Toriel suddenly shouted at the same time, making Frisk flinch.

“I…heard his voice in my mind. He was… begging me to help him.” Frisk answered, her voice small. She suddenly felt like she shouldn’t be here. Like she stumbled across something that she shouldn’t have.

She almost laughed at that thought. Wasn’t that the story of her life?

 Asgore and Toriel looked at each other, and the concern in their eyes told Frisk that the information she revealed was not welcome news. Then, Toriel started speaking again. “Telepathy… Are you sure my child?” she asked.

Frisk nodded. Toriel shook her head, and said, “That’s powerful magic. Even among Monsters it’s rare, and most of them can only communicate with one bonded person. But this human…how? How did he do that? Why does he have enchanted objects?”

“WELL, JUST ASK THE BOY!” Papyrus declared. “HE’S THE ONE WEARING THAT FANCY GET-UP AND CALLED FRISK TO HIM! SURELY, HE’LL PROVIDE THE ANSWERS THAT WE SEEK!”

“That’s…actually a reasonable argument.” Frisk said sincerely.

“Hmm….” Asgore pondered for a second, before turning to Toriel. “Toriel, if you would be so kind.”

Toriel went over to the boy and cradled him in her arms before sighing. “You know, you really should learn to heal by yourself, Asgore.”

Asgore laughed deeply. “Well, I _can,_ but I’m nowhere near as good at it as you.”

To Frisk’s surprise, Toriel laughed a little herself. “You always did slack off when it came to magic…” She placed her hand on the boy’s forehead and, to Frisk’s wonder, a warm yellow glow started to shine.

 “Small one…” Toriel said gently, looking at the boy. “Please…come back to us. Please wake up, so we may speak with you.”

The boy started to groan in Toriel’s arms, and his eye lids started to flutter. Toriel smiled as she saw this. “Good…he’s waking up. And he doesn’t look injured…”

After a moment, the boy’s eyes opened. He looked around sleepily, not seeming to notice anyone around him. Then, when his eyes landed on Toriel, he blinked, and his eyes widened in fear, as if he just noticed that he was surrounded by Monsters.

Toriel must have noticed the look in his eyes, felt the boy starting to shake, and heard that the boy’ breath was becoming heavy and uneven in his panic.  She tried to seem as welcoming as possible. “Hello, small one.” she said gently, giving a small smile.

Unfortunately, her effort was wasted because Papyrus, without any warning, sprang in front of the boy’s voice and yelled at the top of his lungs, “GREETINGS! I’M THE GREAT PAPYRUS! WHAT’S YOUR NAME, HUMAN?”

The boy screamed at the top of his lungs and scrambled out of Toriel’s arms so quickly that he dropped his crown and cloak. Toriel and Asgore reached out stop him, but the boy didn’t even run ten feet before tripping and falling.

Frisk and the other monsters ran towards him to see if he was alright. The boy was starting to get up, but when he saw that he was surrounded, he shrank into a ball, hugging his knees, shivering. “Please…” he pleaded, his voice so small that Frisk could barely hear it. “Don’t hurt me….”

“We’re not going to hurt you, my child…” Toriel said, her voice gentle. She reached out to touch the boy on the shoulder, but the boy flinched.

“But…you’re…. you’re” the boy cried. “What are you?”

“WE’RE MONSTERS!” Papyrus eagerly answered. That only served to make the boy shiver more.

Frisk suppressed the urge to punch Papyrus in the arm and crouched down to the ground to make eye contact with the strange boy. “It’s okay.” She said, placing her hand over the boys. “No one is here to hurt you. You called me for help, remember?”

That caught the boy’s attention, and he looked up at Frisk. Frisk saw that there were tears streaming running down the boy’s face, and she could see the fear in the boy’s blue eyes and in the way that he was shivering. He looked so… small and meek….

Frisk’s heart tightened in sympathy. She thought back to when she just fell into the Underground, where she was surrounded by monsters that looked so alien to her and had dangerous magic that was deadly to her. Even now, the Monsters continued to surprise her in new and strange ways.

This boy was all alone, in the middle of nowhere, and armed with nothing but a golden stick. If her friends were the boy’s first Monsters…then Frisk could certainly emphasize with the boy’s fear.

The boys started to speak, the tears still running down his face. “I…called you?”

Frisk nodded. “You said you needed help… so I came to help.”

The boy blinked, as if just noticing her. “You’re…a person…like me…”

Frisk nodded again. “These Monsters are my…” Frisk had to stop for a minute to think of the right word. Before she could stop herself she finished, “Family. They won’t hurt you. I promise.”

Frisk couldn’t help but notice the smile on Asgore’s face, or the fact that Toriel looked away and wiped something from her eye. She defiantly didn’t notice the big grin on Undyne’s face or the burst of laughter from Papyrus or that Sans was looking away entirely, making it so that Frisk couldn’t read the expression on his face…

Frisk turned back to the boy, and she saw that he stopped shaking and crying, thought the fear was still in his eyes. Which still didn’t have any pupils, Frisk noticed…

Toriel coughed into her hand to draw everyone’s attention. “Small one…Forgive us for frightening you. Are you alright?”

The boy looked at her, hesitating for a moment before answer. “Yes…I think so.”

Hearing that, Papyrus crouched down in front of the boy and started yelling again. “GREAT TO HEAR! NOW TELL US! WHAT IS YOUR NAME? WHERE ARE YOU FROM? DID YOU COME HERE TO MEET US? WHY DO HAVE THE CLOTHING OF ROYALITY? WHY…?”

Frisk saw the panic building in the boy again, and she was about to tell Papyrus to stop. Fortunately, she didn’t have to, as Undyne pulled Papyrus away from the boy. “Slow _down_ , Papyrus!” she yelled. “He just woke up and he can’t understand a thing you’re saying!”

“WHAT! BUT I’M SPEAKING SO SLOWLY AND ELOQUENTLY!”

“not everyone goes at the same pace you do, bro.” Sans replied, completely deadpan.

“BUT….”

Asgore coughed into his hand to stop the noise, before turning to the boy. “Child, do you know why you’re here?”

The boy looked at Asgore. “No.”

Asgore frowned for a moment, before smiling warmly. “Well then, are you lost?”

“I…think so…”

Asgore knelled toward the boy and extended his hand. The boy flinched, making Asgore reel back a little bit. Asgore smiled at him again, moving his hand a bit, and, after hesitating a bit, the boy grabbed his hand.

Asgore pulled the boy to his feet, before asking “Are you feeling well enough to do a little bit of walking?”

The boy looked at him and nodded slightly.

Asgore looked towards the forest that they emerged from. “Then let us return to the base of the mountain. We’ll settle down a little, make some tea, and we’ll discuss what to do next.” He looked down at the boy before finishing. “Perhaps, if you wish, you could tell us a little more about yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Apparently this website doesn't do colored or different fonts. So, here's a slight code of reference. If the font is italicized, it's the POV's direct thoughts. If the font is all small, it's Sans speaking. If it's all large, it's Papyrus. And if it's italicized and bold, it means a certain someone who lives in Frisk's head is speaking (hint, hint). I hope that's clear enough.  
> And now Lucas has joined the plot. Did any else have "We Miss You-Theme of Love" playing in their heads while reading this...?  
> Anyhow, the Monsters certainly aren't the hostile beings the Gems think they will be. Let's see how they react when they meet, shall we? See ya next week!


	3. Clash at Mount Ebott (part one)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crystal Gems and the Monsters finally meet. Unfortunately, thanks to hastiness on both sides, things don't go as well as Steven hoped...  
> No crying until the end, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning. Due to the sheer length of chapter 3, I had to split it up three individual parts. I hope you readers won't mind so much. With that out of the way, let's see how the Gems are doing, shall we?

Warping wasn’t usually a hectic experience for Steven. Sure, the feeling of gravity reversing had churned his stomach upside down during the first couple of times he’d done it, but after he got the hang of it, it had been rather pleasant. For a brief few seconds, he would be lighter than air, and feel utterly relaxed as he let his body float through a white glowing tunnel to his destination.

Nothing in his previous experience had prepared him for sharing the Warp Zone with a seemingly preteen pink-haired girl who was kicking and screaming for most of the trip.

“What the heck?” Amethyst had screamed when the Gems had seen that the girl had stowed away on the Warp Pad. “You’re not supposed to be here, girl! Shove off!” Amethyst emphasized her point with a hard shove to the girl’s chest.

The girl was knocked into Steven’s chest. She growled, “You shove off, bitch!” before using Steven’s chest as a springboard to launch herself to Amethyst. The force knocked Steven into Connie, who screamed and barely had enough time to grab Steven’s hand to evade falling off of the Warp Zone. The girl didn’t notice, and she grabbed a fistful of Amethyst’s hair and tugged as hard as she could. Amethyst cried out, and then bit the girl on the arm.

“NO ROUGH HOUSING IN THE WARP ZONE!” Garnet yelled, which immediately caused the two fighters to stop. “DO YOU WANT TO GET ONE OF US STUCK IN OUTER SPACE?”

“She started it!” Amethyst and the girl shouted at the same time, pointing at each other.

“I DON’T CARE!” Garnet shouted, making the girl and Amethyst shrink a little. Garnet took a deep breath before calming down. “Just sit still until we finish warping. We should be there…”

Before Garnet could finish speaking, the white tunnel disappeared. The Gems managed to land gracefully on their feet, almost seeming to float onto the ground. The children were not so lucky. Connie landed on her feet, but stumbled a bit before falling. Steven planted right on his face, making a loud “Grrmmff!” sound as he did so. The girl fell right on her butt, a few feet from the Warp Pad.

“Owww….” The children groaned, as they recovered from their rough landing. Steven spat out grass and lifted his head to look around. He saw that the Warp Pad was the middle of a clearing, surrounded by pine trees. In the distance, a snow capped mountain loomed, like a giant glaring at village, thinking of smashing it to pieces. Steven guessed that the mountain was Mt. Ebott, and he could instantly understand why no one wanted anything to do with the place. Something about the atmosphere that the mountain gave out made Steven feel…uneasy. Like there were things that he couldn’t see that were watching him.

Steven turned his gaze to the girl. She was rubbing her sore behind, when she looked up, she saw the Gems glaring down at her.

“What on Earth were you thinking, running off onto the Warp Pad during a warp?” Garnet growled. “You could have gotten yourself or one of the kids killed!”

 “I told you! I’m coming with you!” The girl declared, rising to her feet and standing up as tall as she could, obviously trying to make herself look bigger. “I don’t know what sort of things these Monsters are, but I know I felt them when they got out! The way I see it, that means I’m connected to this magic business in some way. If I go to them, I might find the way to get my memories back!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Pearl cried. “There is no way a human like you in this day and age could have sensed the magic that was released from the barrier! And even if you _did,_ what makes you assume that the _Monsters_ could _possibly_ know where _your_ memories are?”

“I don’t know!” the girl shouted back. “I just have this feeling! I _need_ to find them!”

“Please! There is no way that you can have that sort of intuition to just _feel_ what you need to do!” Pearl declared, in the all too familiar manner that meant she thought she knew all of the answers. Steven was experienced enough to know that this wasn’t always the case, but he knew better than to tell Pearl that at the moment.

“Didn’t just say that it was _human_ mages that sealed the Monsters underground to begin with?” the girl growled. “That it was _their_ power that beat the Monsters?”

Pearl’s face went a blue color. “I…I don’t like your tone, young lady!” she replied, completely flustered.

The girl rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She turned to leave. “Let’s go.”

“Oh no.” Garnet replied sternly, grabbing the girl’s arm before she got too far. “You’re going back to the Temple.”

“Let go of me!” The girl yelled. She struggled, trying to wriggle out of Garnet’s grip, but it was no use. Garnet had a grip stronger than iron.

“Steven, warp this girl back to the Temple.” Garnet said. “We’ll have Connie keep an eye on her until we’re done sorting out this mess.”

“O…okay.” Steven replied. He couldn’t argue with that. He didn’t want wasn’t Connie or his new friend to get hurt. Especially if these Monsters turned out to be dangerous…

The girl still struggled as Garnet carried her back to the Warp Pad. As Steven and Connie walked back themselves, the girl shouted at the top of her lungs “I SAID! LET! ME! GO!”

As the girl yelled, Steven suddenly heard a faint _prrriiiiiinnnngggg_ sound fill the air around them. Steven could feel the sound vibrating on his gemstone. He couldn’t quite place what the sound was. It sounded a bit like the buzzing of an insect. Or the ringing of a bell. Whatever the sound was, it disappeared as quickly as it came, causing Steven wander if he had actually heard anything at all.

Then, just as suddenly, bright orange fire burst from the girl’s fingers and writhed Garnet’s upper body in flames. Steven jumped in fright, screaming at the inexplicable appearance of the flames, as did the other Gems watching the unprecedented display.

Garnet dropped the girl and stumbled back, trying to get away from the flames. When she got out of the flames, Steven saw that she was unharmed. Not he was surprised, since it was _Garnet_ , who regularly walked in lava like it was ice water, but he could tell from the way that her mouth dropped that she was just as shocked as the others.

The flames continued to burn for few seconds, before fizzling out. Steven saw the girl, sitting on her rear, taking a few deep heaves. She looked down at her shaking fingers, as if not believing what had just happened.

Connie broke the shocked silence. “What was _that?_ ” she yelled. The look on Connie’s face told Steven that she was in awe, but also uneasy. “That was…that was…”

“Amazing!” Steven cried, stars forming in his eyes. He ran up to the girl, with a huge grin on his face. “That was so cool! And dangerous. Good thing that only hit tough old Garnet. But that was so cool! I’ve never seen any human do magic before! How did you that?”

The girl blinked, still staring at her fingers, which had smoking fuming from them. “I…I don’t know. I just did it.”

“Magic!” Pearl cried, scrambling to Garnet, who was looking at the girl. “A human!” she gasped.  “Using magic! How? How is this possible? There haven’t been any mages in millennia!”

Garnet merely adjusted her glasses and walked up to the strange girl, like nothing strange happened at all. She crouched so that she could make eye contact with the girl more easily. The girl flinched, obviously uncomfortable with this invasion of personal space. Steven couldn’t blame her. Garnet was looking at her like she was trying to dissect the girl and figure out how she worked.

“You’re a strange one.” Garnet declared. “Who are you, really?”

“I told you! I don’t know!” the girl cried defensively.

“Hmmm….” Garnet replied, still staring at her.

The girl scrambled to her feet with a huff. “Why are you staring at me? You got a problem?”

“You just blasted me with fire.” Garnet replied bluntly.

“I’m sorry, okay? I don’t mean to…” the girl stopped suddenly and started staring at the lone mountain in the distance.

“What is it?” Steven asked, concerned.

“I’m…feeling something…” the girl replied. She took a step towards the mountain. Steven noticed there was a sort of glazed look in her eyes. It was like the girl was under a spell…

“Feeling _what?_ ” Garnet asked sternly.

“I…” The girl’s face became fierce, and she clenched her fists. “I have to go there!”  she shouted. And with that, she ran, into the direction of the mountain.

“Wait!” Steven called, reaching out to her.

“Gems, after her!” Garnet commanded.

They ran after the girl, following her into the woods and toward Mt. Ebott.

….

The strange boy looked like he was slowly starting to get used to his monstrous new companions. Frisk noticed that he wasn’t flinching whenever one of the Monsters walked closer to him anymore. He even let Toriel touch his shoulder whenever they had to make a turn.

Talking for any significant amount of time still seemed to a work in progress however. He didn’t even try to ask any questions about the Monsters he found himself surrounded by, and didn’t get involved with any of the conversations between Sans, Undyne, and Papyrus (to be fair, most of the conservation was either Undyne giving a rather spirited lecture to Papyrus about anime with Sans making various puns at their expense. It was a bit too passionate of a conservation to have with strange Monsters he just met.) The boy was silent for of the walk, and kept looking to the ground with a vacant expression in his pupil less eyes. He only gave meek “okays” when Asgore or Toriel told him something about where they were going. Whenever one of the other Monsters tried to say something to him, the boy would flinch and try to catch up to Toriel and Asgore.

Once they got back to the base of Mt. Ebott, Frisk decided that she should ask the boy a few questions. He seemed to respond better to her and her new foster parents better than the other monsters. If she took it slow, they could probably find out where the boy came from and send him back home. Maybe if they were really nice to him, he could help put in a good word for the Monsters to the humans.

Toriel stood near the boy, both to keep watch and keep Papyrus and Undyne from swarming him again. Asgore had went over to the supply pack to put away the boy’s cloak, crown, and scepter, and get the tea set. Why he had packed the tea set in a bag for essential supplies and how he had packed it without breaking it, Frisk would never know.

_Now’s a good a time as any._

Frisk walked up to the boy at a slow pace, making herself seem as friendly as she possibly could. “Hi” she said, giving a small wave as she did so.

The boy blinked, and gave a little wave back, though he didn’t change the blank expression on his face. “Hi…” the boy breathed out.

Frisk saw that the boy still seemed afraid, but she was determined to continue. “So…my name is Frisk. What’s your name?”

Frisk could feel the eyes of all of her friends shift onto her and the boy as she asked that question, and from the way the boy shrank into himself, Frisk could see that the boy sensed it too.

The boy blinked, and looked down at the ground as if he was trying to grasp at the answer. Then, the look in his eyes became empty again, as if he couldn’t find what he was looking for. “I don’t know.” He said.

Frisk could almost hear the Monsters’ breathe stall as he gave that answer. “You don’t know?” Toriel asked, looking at the boy with the same motherly concern that she had looked at Frisk when she fall into the Underground.

The boy shook his head.

“WHAT? HOW CAN THAT BE?” Papyrus asked, once again making the boy cringe from the sheer volume of his voice. “IN THE UNDERGROUND, EVERYONE HAS A NAME. FRISK? DO SOME HUMANS JUST NOT HAVE NAMES? DID HIS PARENTS FORGET TO GIVE HIM ONE?”

“No, Papyrus.” Frisk replied. “Most humans have names. Not knowing your name is not normal.” Frisk turned to the boy, who was looking down at the ground again. He looked like was trying to concentrate, but the thing he was trying to concentrate on kept moving from his sight.

Asgore looked at the boy from his place at the packs, then looked at Toriel. Toriel gave him a glare and he quickly turned his attention back to the bag. Toriel looked back at the boy with concerned eyes. “Child… do remember anything about yourself? Your family? Your friends? Your home? Anything?”

The boy shook his head, and Frisk could see tears starting to well up in his eyes. He sniffed, before crying, “No…. I don’t know anything…”

When Frisk saw the boy crying, she immediately tried to comfort him. “Hey…no, no, no…” she said softly. “It’ll be okay. Maybe your memory will come back soon. We only just found you, right.”

The boy sniffled and continued to cry. “But what if it doesn’t come back?”

Toriel gently placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder. He looked back up at her, tears still streaming from his eyes. “We won’t know if it will come back until it does. Until such a time comes…we’ll have to find you a place to live.”

“OH!!!” Papyrus chimed, cutting Toriel off. “FRISK! IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A NEW BROTHER! HOW EXCITING! THOUGH I CAN ONLY HOPE HE ISN’T AS…INACTIVE AS MINE…”

“whatever do you mean, bro?” Sans asked. The inflection in his voice was way too high for the question to be genuine.

Papyrus gave Sans an exasperated look. “SANS, WHO WAS IT THAT PACKED OUR BAGS FOR THE TRIP?!?!”

“you, but you made me chase you down when the barrier opened.”

“BUT YOU FELL ASLEEP WHEN YOU FOUND ME! I HAD TO CARRY YOU BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN!”

The boy blinked and at looked at them. “Why… is that a big deal?” he asked. “He’s a skeleton.”

The lights in Sans eye sockets gleamed a bit and the grin on his face widened. “Well, kid…” he began. “i may just be bones, but i still weigh a ton… a skele-ton.”

Frisk clamped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing at the awful pun, while Undyne groaned loudly. Frisk heard the boy giggle a bit, before Papyrus screamed. “SANS!”

“what is it, bro? didn’t tickle your _funny bone_?”

“SANS!” Papyrus cried, even as Toriel and the boy laughed. Frisk was finding it more and more difficult keep a straight face.

 “come on, bro. I thought you would be more _humerous_ than that?”

 “GGGRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” Papyrus screamed to the heavens above, holding his head in his hands.

Sans puns were still horrible, and this set of puns were especially horrible since Sans had used these jokes before. Still, Frisk could appreciate the effort to lighten the mood. Especially since the boy was actually laughing, along with Toriel and herself. Frisk couldn’t help but notice that the boy’s features really brightened up when he was smiling. He looked…cute. In a cute little kid sort of way…

Toriel spoke once she was able to stifle her laughter. “So, child… If you have nowhere to go… would you like to come with us?”

The boy’s face fell, and he looked down at the ground in thought. Frisk heard Asgore walk to them and stand next to Toriel as the boy spoke. “I….”

 “HEY! MONSTERS!” an unfamiliar female sounding voice rang out. Frisk felt her heart leap to her chest as she looked in direction that the voice came from.

Standing in the path that lead to the mountain, hands on her hips, was a girl. She had pink hair, a golden bow on her head, a blue hoodie, and rainbow patterned gloves. And if looks could kill, all of the Monsters would be dead.

….

Steven and Connie could barely keep up with the girl. For someone who was just unconscious, their new friend was fast.

Running up hills and slopes was difficult. It was especially difficult when Steven’s head was aching from all of the information he had just processed. He was used to dealing with magic and Gems and threats to the Earth. But to learn about a whole other race that was capable of magic that had been unfairly punished by humans and might try to hurt humans because of it was very anxiety inducing. Steven hated violence of any kind, and if these monsters were unfairly punished, then Steven wanted to help them. But what was he going to do if they wanted war again….?

And then there was his strange new friend. For as long as Steven lived, he was told that only Gems (and now Monsters) were capable of using magic. But then he was told that humans had used magic in the past, and now he knew this girl, who could feel other magical beings and shoot fire from her bare hands. Who was this girl? Why could she use magic? And how was she connected to the Monsters? Steven believed that this girl was good person (if a bit rough around the edges), but there was no way she could have appeared at the same time that monsters escaped by coincidence…

They had reached the end of the path before the girl screeched to a halt. Steven and Connie caught up to her, huffing and puffing as he looked into the clearing before him…And gasped in wander at the sight before him. There, at the base of the mountain, were the Monsters.

Steven hadn’t known what to expect when he was told they were facing Monster from the Earth. All his life, he had only dealt with Gem monsters, which came in all sorts of shapes and sizes that it was impossible to provide a decent description for them as a whole. Each one of them was unique in its own way.

From what Steven could see…it was much the same with these Monsters. There were five of them in all, each of them gathered together in a sort of camp sight.

Steven’s attention was drawn to the Monster by the backpacks. He was… huge! Much larger than any human he’d ever seen. He had to be at least eight feet tall! And while his body seemed mostly like a human’s, his head was…. a goat’s head. With huge white horns on the top of his head, and matching fur covering all of the parts he could see. Steven couldn’t help but think of his goat friend, Steven Jr., before he looked at the goat man again. His mane of hair and beard were as golden as the sun, and though it was somewhat of a mess, he didn't look bad. The goat man was dressed in golden armor and the longest purple cape that Steven had ever seen. And on top of his head, in between his horns, was a tiny crown. From that, the purple cape, and golden armor, Steven could see that this giant of a goat man was the king.

Some distance away was another humanoid goat Monster, this one appearing to be a woman. Her horns were much smaller, though she was just as tall as the goat man, and her hair was short and white. She was dressed in a purple robe that a reached her ankles, with the long sleeves made from a white fabric. Sewed into the front of the robe was a symbol that Steven didn’t recognize. She had no crown, but she carried herself with an air of grace and refinement. If the goat man was the king, then she was the queen.

A small distance away from the king and queen was another humanoid monster. This one could have passed for a human, except her skin was made up of blue scales and she had fins on both sides of her head. Her hair was blood red and was tied back into a single ponytail that reached her waist, and she was dressed in ragged jeans and a black tank top. Her left eye was covered in a black eye patch. Steven couldn’t help but think of Amethyst, with the way that the fish woman was picking her nose and the growling at the two other monsters.

Speaking of the other two monsters…. they were probably the strangest of the bunch. They were…skeletons. Literally skeletons, without an ounce of flesh or skin that Steven could see. One of them was quite tall from where Steven could see, and dressed in what appeared to be plastic white armor that covered his torso, a red scarf, and red boots. The other skeleton was much shorter than the other one, and quite a bit stockier. He was dressed in a blue hoodie, black exercise shorts, and pink slippers. Unlike the other one, the small skeleton’s eye sockets seemed to glow with a blueish white light.

Steven had never seen anything like these creatures before, except in the cartoons that he watched with the Gems. The fact that he there, seeing them in his own eyes… It was like something out a story book…

Connie voiced the word in his mind. “Amazing…” she whispered. She and Steven looked at each other, sharing the excitement they had between their eyes.

The girl was not so excited. She glared at the monsters fiercely, her hand clenching into a fist. “They have kids with them” she said.

Steven looked back at the group of monsters and saw that the girl was right. Next to the goat queen was a small child. Steven, to his embarrassment, couldn’t tell if the child was a boy or a girl, but the child was dressed in a blue sweater with purple stripes running through it, and blue jeans. The child had short, straight brown hair, and was holding the goat queen’s hand, almost like he (or she?) belonged to her…

Facing the queen and the child was a boy (very clearly a boy). His hair was blond, and he was dressed in a red and yellow striped shirt and blue shorts.

“Why do they have human kids with them?” the girl growled. Steven didn’t like the girl’s tone. She clearly didn’t like the Monsters, but she had no idea who they actually were or why they were there. Steven wanted to at least talk to them, before they took action.

Steven needed to get the girl to not be so hostile. And he knew the perfect way to do that: point out what the girl wasn’t seeing.

“I don’t know…” Steven admitted, but then added, “But those kids don’t look like they’re in danger. It’s almost like the Monsters are…taking care of them.”

“Why would they do that?” the girl asked him, glaring as she did so.

Steven was about to answer, but an uproar of laughter from the camp interrupted him. He looked, and saw that the goat woman, as well as the children, were in a fit of laughter. The stocky skeleton was grinning, while the tall skeleton and the fish woman were yelling at him. Steven had seen this situation enough times to realize that the skeleton had told a joke that two monsters did not appreciate.

Steven smiled and turned to the girl. “See?” he said, as if proving a point. “They look happy. Especially the kids.”

The girl looked down, her face seeming contemplative. Steven had seen that expression on Connie many times that he could practically see the gears turning behind her eyes. “They do…” she said. Then, something clicked. The fire in her eyes returned, and she clenched her fists. “But I still have questions!”

Before Connie and Steven could stop her, the girl marched out of the woods like she owned the place, right into plain sight of the encampment, and shouted as loud as she could, “HEY! MONSTERS!”

Steven’s heart skipped a beat as every head in the Monster’s camp turned to look at the girl. Normally, crowds were something Steven could handle, but when the crowd consisted of strange Monsters that possessed possibly deadly magic, one would get a little nervous.

Still, Steven did what he thought would be the best thing to do in this situation. He ran next to the girl’s side as fast he could and tried to be as friendly as possible.

“Hi!” he shouted, with a big grin on his face. “I’m Steven! What’s your name?”

…..

Just when Frisk thought her day couldn’t get any stranger…

When she envisioned the Monsters first encounter with humans, she had imagined people in suits pointing microphones and cameras (and possibly guns) at them.

She didn’t think that the first people they’d see would be a bunch of kids.

First there was the girl with pink hair, who was still looking at them with an expression of an officer chasing down a hardened criminal. Now there was this boy, Steven…

He looked no older than eight, and he was rather pudgy and round. His black hair was formed in curls, and he was wearing a pink shirt with a yellow star on the chest, blue jeans, and red sandals.  But the strangest thing about Steven was the huge grin on his face, which was so huge it would make Papyrus blush. It was like he didn’t even think that the Monsters he was seeing were scary.

As unusual as it was, Frisk couldn’t help but feel a bit reassured.

Before anyone else could speak, another voice rang out. “Wait, Steven!”

Another girl ran out alongside with the other children. Her skin was dark, and her brown hair was puffy and went down to her waist. She was dressed in a sky blue dress, with a white shirt, a blue bow on her chest, and red boots. She looked rather pretty in Frisk’s opinion, but then she noticed something on the girl that made her heart skip a beat.

On the girl’s back was a long-sword of some sort. Why would she have that here? What was she going to do?

The girl with the sword spoke. “Steven!” she squeaked, distress clear on her face. “What are you….?”

“I’m just introducing myself!” Steven said, grin still on his face. “Isn’t that what you do when you meet new people, Connie?”

The pink haired girl groaned and face palmed. “Kid, you have a _lot_ to learn about the real world…”

“Says the girl with no memories…” the girl called Connie responded.

“Shut up!” the girl shouted, making Connie flinch.

Asgore stepped towards the children and coughed into his hand, making the three of them look at him. “Children…might I ask…who are you? Where are your parents?”

The pink-haired girl marched right up in front of Asgore. She barely went up to Asgore’s waist, but she wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. “First, answer our questions!” she demanded. “Who are you? How did you escape from the Underground? And what are you gonna do to us humans?”

Asgore blinked at her, apparently surprised and confused that a little girl was trying to interrogate the King of all Monsters. “Young lady…” he said gently. “I’m the King of Monsters. We’re not here to hurt anyone…”

“And why should we trust you?” the girl said, cutting him off.

Now was the perfect time for Frisk to play the ambassador. “Please…” she said, walking up to the girl. “I know these Monsters. They don’t want to hurt us. They just want to live in peace.”

The girl looked at her, and for the first time, Frisk saw that she had no pupils. Much like the blonde boy they meet in the woods…

“I saw you from the woods.” The strange girl said. “Why’s a human here with Monsters?

“I helped get them out.” Frisk answered honestly. “These Monsters are my family.”

The girl got a look of disbelief, as the other Monsters in Frisk’s group started to gather around them. “Your…. family?” she questioned. “All of these Monsters…”

The blonde boy stepped forward, next to Toriel. He was staring at the strange girl, as if he was trying figure out who she was. The girl turned to look at the boy.

The second their eyes met, there was a flicker of something between them. Both their breath stalled at the same time, and their eyes widened. The boy stumbled back, as if flinching, and the girl suddenly pressed her hand against her forehead, as if in pain.

Before anyone could ask what was wrong with them, the girl groaned, her pupiless eyes still wide, as if she had seen a ghost. “L…. Lucas?” she said to the boy.

“Kuma…. Kumatora?” the boy asked back, his voice barely a whisper.

The two children looked at each other for a moment, as Steven gasped loudly. “What? You remember something?”

Toriel looked at the boy. “My child… is ‘Lucas’ …your name?”

The boy blinked. “Yes…”

Asgore placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “She knows your name…” he said, as if asking for confirmation.

The boy named Lucas nodded.

“And you know hers…” Toriel said.

Lucas nodded again.

“Then… Lucas… do you know this girl?”

Lucas frowned and started to shiver. “I don’t… I don’t know…”

“BULLSHIT!” the girl called Kumatora suddenly yelled, and grabbed Lucas by the front of his shirt, dragging him away from the Monsters. Lucas screamed and struggled to break free from the grip, as Kumatora lifted him up so that his face was level with hers.

“Young lady!” Toriel shouted.

“Kumatora!” Steven and Connie yelled.

Kumatora ignored all of them and yelled directly in Lucas’ face at the top of her lungs. “Bullshit you don’t know me! You knew my name, something that even _I_ don’t remember! And I know your name, even though I don’t remember anything else! SO, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!?!?!?!”

Lucas started to cry. “I don’t know!” he sobbed. “I don’t know!”

“BULLSHIT!” Kumatora shouted, shaking Lucas now. “BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT! YOU ARE FULL OF BULLSHIT!”

“Stop it!” Frisk and Steven shouted at the same time.

“Leave him alone!” Undyne growled. With that, almost faster than Frisk could see, Undyne punched Kumatora in the stomach, with so much force that she was sent flying into the trees.

Before she crashed into the trees, something rushed out of the woods so fast that all Frisk saw was a purple blur. The purple thing caught Kumatora and quickly rolled to a stop. For a moment, Frisk saw that the thing looked like a small, round teenage girl, but her skin was a dark purple, and her wild, ankle length hair was a lighter shade of purple. She was dressed in a black tank top, dark grey pants with black stars at the knees, and grey combat boots. But the strangest thing about her was the purple gem on her chest, about level with her sternum. If Frisk didn’t know any better, she would say it was part of the girl’s body…

Before anyone could react, something strong grabbed Frisk by the waist. Frisk didn’t even have time to scream as she felt herself fly through the air, away from the Monsters.  When the whole world stopped moving, something dropped Frisk like a sack of potatoes.

Frisk looked up. The one who had taken her was a woman. She was lanky and tall, almost as tall as Undyne. Her skin was as white as milk and her hair was sort of pinkish shade and shaped in a triangle. The woman was dressed in a blue armless shirt with a yellow star on the chest, orange shorts with a light blue ribbon around the waist, and sky blue slippers with pink socks. And on her forehead…was a large oval shaped pearl. Frisk blinked to make sure she was seeing correctly, but the pearl was definitely there, and it was definitely attached to her forehead…

The woman with the pearl glared in the direction of the Monsters, and then turned her gaze to the side. “They attacked her!” she cried. “A little human girl!”

Frisk followed the woman’s gaze. A few feet away from her was another woman. Or rather…a giant of a woman. She was just a little shorter than Asgore, with a long thick legs and chest that was oddly block shaped. Her puffy dark hair was shaped like a single block, and her eyes were hidden behind shiny glasses. She was wearing a jumpsuit, which was black and dark purple at the legs, various shades of purple at her square chest, and ended with puffy sleeves at the shoulders. When she opened her hands to for a brief moment, Frisk saw light purple gems on each of her palms…

Frisk blinked. These women… She had seen them before. Where had she seen him before?

The giant woman spoke, her voice grave. “Steven, get the children out of here. This is going to get ugly.”

Frisk looked below the woman and saw the other three children. Apparently, the two women had swooped in and grabbed them and Frisk. Steven was at the large woman’s feet, tugging at her hands. “Garnet, don’t!” he begged.

“Okay ya Monsters!” the purple girl one growled, putting down Kumatora, who curled into a ball shivering in pain. “Who wants to get trashed?”

Frisk looked back at the Monsters. For the first time in a long while, Sans was standing up straight and alert, all of his attention facing towards the strange women. Papyrus looked confused, apparently still processing everything that had just happened. “SANS? WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE?” he asked.

“Who are you?” Undyne yelled, face contorted in rage. “Give us back our humans!”

“ _Your_ humans?” the woman with the pearl shouted back. “So you’re enslaving human children now?”

Asgore and Toriel stepped forward, and Frisk was taken aback when she saw them clearly. Their eyes were wide with fear. Toriel had her hands covering her mouth, like she had lost her breath in her shock. Asgore, the strongest Monster Frisk had ever known (except maybe Sans… but that was a different sort of strength), was trembling in utter terror.

When Asgore spoke, Frisk could hear the shaking in his voice. “You’re….  Gems…”

“No….” Toriel said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It can’t be… I thought they were gone…”

Undyne whirled on them. “What are ‘Gems’?” she demanded.

“They’re…creatures…. from another world.” Asgore answered, his voice still trembling. “When we lived above the surface, they said they wanted to help us. But they didn’t. They destroyed the land, and wanted to destroy all of the Earth. There would have been nothing left.”

“When they found out us Monsters knew the truth…” Toriel whispered. “They wiped us out.” Tears were running down her face. “They helped seal us away…”

“They’re demons…” Asgore said. “Since Earth and humans had survived for this long, I thought they went away. But if they’re still here… no one is safe…”

 _Gems_ … Frisk thought. _Wait… Crystal Gems…_

 In an instant, Frisk remembered the international newspapers that she barely reads. The Crystal Gems… Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl… The protectors of the Earth…

It was then Frisk realized she had to clear this misunderstanding and stop the Monsters and Gems from hurting each other... or worse. But before she could speak, Undyne whirled back toward the Gems, the pupils in her eyes narrowed into slits. “You!” she growled. “I don’t what your problem is, but you’re not gonna seal us away again!”

“Oh yeah?” The purple girl, apparently Amethyst, growled. “And who’s gonna stop us?”

_Oh no… Why did she have to say that?_

In response Amethyst’s question, Undyne gave a ferocious, tooth-filled grin. “ME!” she bellowed.

Undyne snapped her fingers and in a blue flash of light, a spear of light blue magic appeared in her right hand. With a twirl, she pointed the spear at the Gems.

Frisk barely had time to think, _Oh crap,_ before circles of blue light surrounded the Gems. In an instant, spears, identical to the one Undyne summoned to her hand, burst from the circles and launched themselves toward the Gems.

Somehow the Gems were fast enough to dodge the incoming spears. And somehow, Undyne was able to aim so that the spears didn’t hit any of the children.

Not that the Gems noticed. Garnet gave a low growl before shouting, “Gems, prepare for battle!” As she spoke, the gems on the palms of her hands glowed with a bright purple light. With a flex of her arms, gauntlets appeared on her hands. They looked heavy and thick, and there were gems encrusted onto the knuckles…

Pearl nodded and a white light appeared from the gem on her forehead. A handle of some sort burst from the gem, and Pearl gave it a fierce tug, pulling out a blue-white spear that was longer than she was tall, twirling it as she did so.

Amethyst glared at the Monsters and reached for the gem at her chest. With a flash of purple light, she pulled out a black whip that split into two tails at the end, and was encrusted with purple gems in several places.

Undyne laughed ferociously at the sight and twirled her spear. “I hope you’re as deadly as King Asgore and Queen Toriel say ya are! Cause you’re fighting me! Undyne! Head of the Royal Guard! And I’m gonna win!”

The terror in Asgore and Toriel’s face vanished, leaving only grim acceptance and cold anger. Asgore held out his hand and in a burst of flames, his blood red trident appeared.  Toriel flexed her wrists and a fire started on both of her palms. Asgore and Toriel shared a look, and then they whispered something to Undyne and Sans respectively. They both nodded.

“Guys, don’t!” Frisk cried, as the horror came flooding into her mind. A cold iron hand had clenched over her heart. Her legs almost gave out below her, and she could barely breathe.

 They couldn’t fight each other. There were so many things wrong with this situation. The Monsters didn’t want to hurt anyone, but the Gems thought they were just protecting the world. The Monsters may outnumber the Gems, but the Gems were so powerful, and the Monsters were so frail compared to humans. Even if someone wins, both sides were going suffer loses…

But Frisk’s voice came to deaf ears. Garnet banged her gauntlets together and yelled, “Gems, take them down!”

“Garnet!” Steven cried desperately, as the Gems charged. “Pearl! Amethyst! Stop!”

But no one listened.

…..

Steven was more used to seeing the Crystal Gems fight than he liked to be. Normally he could handle seeing them fight monsters.

Except the “monsters” in this case had said that they didn’t want to hurt anyone. They only wanted live in peace on the surface after being sealed away for so long. And if the punch that sent Kumatora flying was any indication, they were powerful. If they fought…all that would happen was that they would hurt each other…

The first blow was thrown by Garnet. She rushed the King of Monsters, Asgore, and punched as hard as she could in the direction of his face. With her strength, Steve thought for sure that Garnet would down him in one shot…

But it seemed that Asgore was the King of all Monsters for a reason. Before the blow could connect, Asgore seized Garnet’s arm, and, using her weight against her, threw her with all of his might over his shoulder with a roar. Garnet went flying, far away, into another section of the woods that Steven couldn’t see.

Asgore glanced at the goat woman, Toriel, and said “Tori, you know what to do!” As Toriel nodded, Asgore took off to Garnet’s direction.

Pearl charged at Undyne, dodging the spears of energy that burst from the ground. Pearl swung her spear, but Undyne leaped into the air and dodged it entirely. Undyne landed on a nearby tree branch with a laugh. “Ya got guts, string bean!” she shouted. “But it’s gonna take more than that!” With that, she leaped off into the woods.

“I’m not going to lose the likes of you!” Pearl yelled furiously, and immediately chased after her.

“Pearl!” Steven shouted, but he was cut off by what seemed like the sound of whirling tires. He turned to see the purple form of Amethyst, rolling such a speed that it tore up the ground beneath her. She was aiming for the two skeletons, but the fat skeleton pulled the taller skeleton out of the way just in time.

“SANS!” the tall one shouted, as Amethyst skirted to a stop. “WHAT’S GOING ON?”

“c’mon papyrus!” Sans yelled, pulling the other skeleton with him and running off into the woods.

“Get back here!” Amethyst screamed, running off after them. Soon, she was out of sight, leaving Steven with the other four children and the Queen of Monsters, without any allies.

Steven tried to suppress the cold pressure creeping in his chest, but the panic still spread. He started breathing heavily. He had to do something. The Gems were fighting innocent people. If he didn’t do something soon…

“Get away from us!” Connie’s voice rang beside him, snapping him back to reality. He looked up. Toriel was taking small steps towards them, her hands raised on either side, the fire between her fingers was gone. Connie had put herself in front Steven, and she had drawn out her sword and pointed toward Toriel.

The pressure in Steven’s chest increased. “Connie!” he shouted, grabbing her hands as he did so. Steven could feel Connie’s hand shaking, and even though she tried to make herself look intimating, Steven could see the fear in her eyes as clear as day.

“Steven!” Connie cried, trying to pull the sword out of Steven’s grip. But the other boy, Lucas, grabbed the sword helped Steven pull it back.

“Don’t do that!” Lucas cried.

“You guys…!” Connie said, the panic creeping into her voice,

“Stop!” The child in the blue sweater ran out and placed herself between Toriel and Connie. “Please!” they cried. “Don’t hurt my mom!”

Connie froze immediately, and pointed her sword towards the ground. “Your mom? But…she’s…”

“Please, children!” Toriel pleaded. “I do not wish to harm you. Please, whatever those Gems told you about us, don’t listen to them! They only want destroy you and your homes once they’re done using you! Let me take you away from those horrible creatures!”

“What?” Steven yelled out his question. “But…” His head was hurting. The Crystal Gems had done nothing but protect the Earth, but these Monsters thought they were demons? Why…?

Like a bolt of lightning, something clicked in Steven’s mind. The Homeworld Gems… They were ones that came to the Earth before the Crystal Gems were founded. From what Pearl had told him, Homeworld must have been on Earth, shaping the land, for hundreds of years before Rebellion even started.

The Monsters didn’t know. They didn’t know that the Crystal Gems rebelled. They didn’t know they want to protect the Earth.

“We don’t want to hurt you either!” Steven cried.

Toriel blinked, and then leaned toward Steven. “I’m sure you don’t, little one. That’s why…”

“I mean the Crystal Gems don’t want to hurt you either!” Steven yelled, cutting off Toriel. “They want to _protect_ the Earth, not destroy it!”

“What? But…”

“It’s true, Mom!” the child in the sweater cried, pulling on Toriel’s sweater desperately to get her attention. “I’ve… read about them… on the newspaper! They’re the Crystal Gems! They’ve been protecting people against magical threats for a long time!”

“But…” Toriel insisted, confusion and fear clouding her eyes. “When we were on the surface, they wanted to…”

“They rebelled against the Gems that wanted to destroy the Earth!” Steven cried. “They gave up _everything_ just to protect it!

“Then why…?” Toriel asked. “Why do they want to kill us?”

“They don’t _want to_ , but they think you’re a threat to the Earth!”

“No!” Toriel suddenly shouted. She blinked, and when realized she startled the children, she shrank back again. “We Monsters have been sealed away for millennia! After all this time, why would we squander our chance for freedom? After all this time…we just want to live in peace.”

“Oh….” Connie moaned loudly, placing her head in her hands. “This is bad! This is very, very bad! The Gems aren’t going to pull any punches on those Monsters they’re chasing! If they fight…”

A loud groaning cut Connie off. It was coming from Kumatora, who was rolling on the ground, clutching her stomach in pain. It then occurred to Steven that being punched with enough force to knock her back across the clearing might have hurt her.

Apparently, Lucas was thinking the same thing. He went over to Kumatora and put his hand on her shoulder concern and fear showing on his face. He turned to Toriel. “Please! She’s hurt! Someone help her!”

Toriel wrapped her arm around Kumatora, and placed her hand on her stomach. A golden light appeared in Toriel’s hands, and Kumatora stopped groaning. When she opened her eyes, she wrestled herself out of Toriel’s grip, shouting “I’m fine! I’m fine!”

“But, child…” Toriel started.

“I’m fine!” Kumatora insisted. “Just get off me!”

As Toriel let her go, the child in the sweater suddenly ran off.

“Frisk!” Toriel yelled. “Where are you going?”

Frisk turned to Toriel. “Amethyst went after Papyrus and Sans!” they shouted frantically. “Sans only has one HP! And Paps is too gentle to fight anyone! She’ll kill them!”

Toriel’s eyes widened. “No!”

“Amethyst won’t fight if I stop her!” Steven said. But then he remembered his other guardians. “But Pearl…” He turned to Toriel. “How strong is that fish knight?”

“Undyne is one the strongest Monsters in the Underground.” Toriel said. “Even if this Gem is skilled, I don’t think a mere Pearl is can stand up to Undyne alone.”

Steven clinched his fists, trying to calm himself down. “Then… someone needs to protect her.”

“And…” Lucas began, his voice trembling. Steven could see his body shaking, and the fear in his blue eyes. “The King… He was going to fight that big woman.”

Toriel gave a rattling sigh. “Asgore’s a fool, but he’s the King of all Monsters for a reason. I highly doubt that a single Gem will be a threat.”

“You don’t know Garnet” Steven said. He had no doubt that this Asgore was strong, it was hard to see him beat Garnet, who had taken down Corrupted Gems the size of buildings with her bare hands.

“Regardless, I’m the only one here who is capable of subduing him if he gets carried away.” Toriel replied. “Therefore, I’ll worry about him.”

“I’ll go after Sans and Amethyst.” Frisk said. “I’m the only one fast enough to catch up to him.”

“But Frisk…”

“Mom!” Frisk interjected. “I’ll be fine! I can’t sit here and let my friends get killed!”

“Me and Connie will go after Pearl!” Steven said. “She’ll listen to us!”

 Toriel nodded. “And Undyne would never hurt an innocent. If she sees that human children don’t want your friend hurt, she might just yield.”

“And what if she doesn’t?” Kumatora asked.

“We have to try!” Steven cried.

Kumatora gave a tense sigh. “Fine. Do what you want. I’ll go with this kid here” she said, pointing at Frisk. “She could use a hand if things go south.”

“Then I will attend to Asgore and the large Gem.” Toriel concluded. She turned to Lucas. “Please come with me, small one. I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone.”

 Lucas hesitated. “But…what if they…”

“Don’t worry, child.” Toriel replied, giving a reassuring smile. “I won’t let any harm come to you.”

“O…Okay.” Lucas said.

“What are we waiting for?” Kumatora suddenly shouted. “Let’s get going!”

“Be safe, children.” Toriel said. She grabbed Lucas’s hand and went off in the direction Asgore took.

“Good luck!” Frisk said, taking Kumatora’s hand and running where Amethyst and the skeletons went.

“Come on.” Connie said to Steven. Steven nodded and together, they ran into the forest, hoping to find the two knights before they killed each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it seems that the children have gotten themselves in a jam! Can they stop the Gems and the Monsters fighting without anyone getting hurt or worse? Tune in next week to find out!


	4. Clash at Mount Ebott (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Frisk race to stop their friends from fighting, while Lucas reflects on how he got here before he faces Garnet and the King of Monsters.  
> No crying until the end, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two has begun. Strap in folks. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

Frisk ran like she did when Undyne had chased her through Underground. The trees around her were a blur, and she almost ran into objects and tripped over things many times.

            Frisk’s head was aching over all the things she had absorbed over the past hour or so. She had never met the Gems in person, but she had thought they had always protected the Earth. But now, she was learning that they had rebelled? And that the other Gems had helped seal away the Monsters and wanted to destroy the Earth? There was so much information to process, and Frisk was missing so much more that it left her very confused.

            And then there was Lucas and Kumatora…

            Frisk looked to the girl running beside her. Kumatora’s unnatural pink hair was flowing behind her with as she ran. She still had that fierce expression on her face, and it didn’t waver, even as she had to work hard to keep up Frisk’s speed (to be fair, Frisk wasn’t going her top speed. If she was, then she would have left Kumatora in the dust). Even after being struck with a strong blow from Undyne and just being healed from it, Kumatora still looked like she was ready to wallop anyone who stood in her way.

            Frisk recalled that somehow, Kumatora knew the strange boy she met in the woods, who had no memories. And somehow, that boy, Lucas, knew her. And from what Frisk had heard from what the children said, Kumatora had also forgotten who she was.

            Frisk couldn’t help but wonder… who was this girl? It couldn’t have been a coincidence that Kumatora and Lucas knew each other, had no memories, and met at this time. And if Lucas possessed enough magical power to communicate telepathically… what could Kumatora do…?

            Kumatora caught Frisk staring at her and glared “What are you looking at?” she demanded.

            “Nothing.” Frisk quickly said, and turned her gaze in front of her just in time to dodge an upcoming tree.

            _They’re going die, Frisk. Those Crystal Gems… They’re worse than humans. You can’t reason with them. If the Monsters die, we’ll have to RESET…_

 Frisk shook her head. No. She wouldn’t do that. The Monsters just had their happy ending. She couldn’t take that away from them.

 She couldn’t let herself get distracted by worries that she couldn’t answer at the moment. All that mattered was that the Gems and Monsters thought each other a threat to the Earth. She couldn’t not allow them to hurt each other. She must make peace between both sides for everyone’s sake.

            The thought of a peaceful existence between humans, Monsters, and Gems filled Frisk with determination, and she felt her strength renew. In burst of speed, she ran ahead of Kumatora and down the forest path.

            She could have sworn that she heard Kumatora shout behind her, but she ignored it. She had to find Sans and Papyrus before they got hurt. She had to…

            After a few minutes Frisk stopped. She heard something else. Something…familiar…

            The sounds were getting closer, and now Frisk could hear that they were voices.  “SANS!” the voice that was unmistakably Papyrus rang out. “WHY ARE WE RUNNING? YOU HAVEN’T RAN ANYWHERE IN YEARS!”

            “just keep runnin, papyrus!” the low droll of Sans replied. “we’ve lost that purple bitch, but she might find us again!”

            “SANS!” Papyrus yelled. “LANGUAGE!!!”

            “Sans!” Frisk called into the woods, relief swelling in her chest. “Papyrus! Come here!”

            “FRISK!” Papyrus yelled in response. Frisk heard the sound of footsteps from her side, and from out of the trees came the two skeletons.

            “Thank god you’re alright!” Frisk said, running up to them and wrapping her arms around the both of them.

            “OF COURSE WE’RE ALRIGHT!” Papyrus replied, patting Frisk’s head as she let go. “WHY WOULDN’T WE BE?”

            As if to answer his question, a voice rang from nowhere, shouting “Found you, ya boneheads!”

            Frisk turned to where she heard the sound from, just in time to see a purple whip slash through the air in their direction. Sans barely had enough time to push Papyrus and Frisk out of the way before the whip cut between them.

            “Amethyst!” Frisk yelled, as Amethyst rushed toward them.

            Amethyst ignored her, and started to roll at near supersonic speeds again. She rolled past Sans, and then skirted to a stop a short distance from the group.

            “GREETINGS!” Papyrus shouted, before Sans or Frisk could say anything. “I’M THE GREAT PAPYRUS! WHAT’S YOU’RE…”

            “Don’t care!” Amethyst growled, cutting him off. She slashed her whip. Papyrus ducked just time, so the whip hit the trees, cutting deep lash marks into the wood.

            “HEY!” Papyrus stammered, looking nervous. “THAT WAS DANGEROUS! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?”

            “Cause I’m gonna pummel ya!” Amethyst roared. She leaped high into the air and came down full force with a fist.

            Papyrus dodged, causing Amethyst to hit the ground with her full weight. There was a loud crash, as the force of the punch crumbled the ground beneath it, creating a small crater around Amethyst.

            “Papyrus, run!” Sans shouted, desperation in his voice.

            “Please, Amethyst!” Frisk cried. “Stop this!”

            But their pleas fell on deaf ears.

            “PLEASE STOP THIS!” Papyrus cried, raising both his hands to his sides. “WHOEVER YOU MAY BE, YOU CAN’T WIN A DUEL WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I’M FAR TOO STRONG FOR YOU!”

            “Tough talk coming from a pile of bones!” Amethyst growled. She reached her left hand into her gem and, in a flash of purple light, pulled out another whip. With a roar, she swung both whips at Papyrus.

            Papyrus scrambled out of the way of the dueling strikes. He tried to move further, but his back met a tree. With an exasperated groan, he reached behind him, and from out of nowhere, he pulled out a large bone, about as long as he was tall. “PLEASE!” Papyrus pleaded raising the bone staff in front of him. “I DON’T WANT TO HURT YOU!”

            Amethyst lashed out with her whips, wrapping both of them around the bone staff. “Ya know!” she shouted as the whips tightened, making Papyrus struggle to keep the staff into his grip. “I’ve lived on this planet for over six thousand years since I was born in it! And after all that time, I’ve never even seen a trace of things like you! And if Garnet says you’re a threat to the planet, then as far as I’m concerned, YOU DON’T BELONG HERE!”

            With a loud bellow, Amethyst lashed her whips. As she did so, a purple light spread across the whips.

            The instant the lights hit Papyrus’s staff, there was an explosion. A loud bang filled the air around them.

            “PAPYRUS!”  Sans screamed louder than Frisk ever heard him yell before. For once, the grin on his skull was gone, his jaw sagging in utter fear and panic. His skeletal hands were trembling, and his eye lights were wavering in their sockets.

            Panic and horror had hit Frisk so hard that she couldn’t muster the will to scream. Instead, she trembled where she stood. _No. No, no, no. He can’t be dead. Papyrus can’t be dead. He can’t be…_

            The smoke cleared, and Frisk almost sobbed in relief. Papyrus was still there. His clothes were battered, he was groaning in pain, and there was a crack in his skull. But he was alive. He wasn’t dust again…

            Her relief was shot when Amethyst pulled her arm back for another strike.

            “No!” Frisk cried, and with all the strength she could muster, she ran to Amethyst and Papyrus. Papyrus may have survived the explosion, but his HP was still at critical levels. If he was hit one more time…

            Amethyst lashed her whips again, aiming for Papyrus’s spine. Frisk wasn’t going to make it. The blow would connect to Papyrus. He was going to die and to would be all her…

            Suddenly, just before the whips managed to land, they were pulled back. Frisk turned her head, only to see Amethyst being pulled by her gem by an unseen force, screaming.

            Amethyst was thrown to a tree, and she hit it with so much force that the tree fell over with a crash. Amethyst groaned in pain, holding the purple gem on her sternum. Frisk blinked, wondering what in the world had thrown Amethyst. Then, Frisk saw a faint blue glow around the gem…

            Frisk whirled on Sans… and gasped in horror at the sight of him. Sans was glaring at the Gem with his skeletal face, his mouth a contorted into an almost snarl. The lights in his eye sockets were gone, complete darkness replacing the one on the right, and in the left…

            In the left eye socket was a blue glowing eye, with a bluish vapor streaming up from it with the sheer amount of magic behind it.

            Frisk tried to stop the impended storm of memories, but once again it over took her. She saw Sans, standing some distance in front of her in a golden hall. Sans, looking at her with that smug grin, that didn’t mask the utter contempt he had for her. Contempt that she deserved every single bit of. Sans, with his eye glowing blue and a wave of his hand, gripping her by the soul and throwing her to the walls over and over and over, not stopping even when she screamed in agony, still looking with that arrogant grin, which only widened when he slammed her through his bones…

            Frisk held her head in her hands as she tried to ground herself back to the present. That time had passed. Everyone was fine now. Nobody was killed. At least, no one would be killed if she…

            Sans lashed his hand to the side and downwards, throwing Amethyst through another tree and then slamming her face first into the ground. Then, he raised his hand, dragging Amethyst into the air with it. He pulled his other hand back, obviously readying a magical attack.

            “Sans, stop it!” Frisk cried. Amethyst was already subdued. He didn’t have to hurt her. All they needed to do was explain the misunderstanding…

            But Sans didn’t listen. He thrust forward with his other hand, aiming directly for the gem in the sternum…

            But before he could finish, a strange sound cut through the air. Frisk couldn’t identify what it was. It sounded like…a ringing bell? A mosquito?

            Suddenly, the wind picked up, swirling around Frisk and Sans at high speeds. Frisk felt the temperature drop dramatically, causing her to shiver and her breath to become visible. A thin layer of frost formed on the grass, and on parts of Frisk’s sweater. Frisk heard Sans cry out in shock, but it was muffled by the loud swirling of air in Frisk’s ears.

            The sudden wind broke Sans’s focus, causing Amethyst to drop from the air. Frost formed on Sans’s blue hoodie and shorts, but the cold didn’t make him shiver. It seemed that it was the shock at the wind’s occurrence that broke his concentration, not the freezing temperatures.

            Just as quickly as the winds came, they went, leaving a shivering and cold Frisk, and a confused, frost covered skeleton.

            “what the?” Sans said, looking around for a cause of the wind. “magic?”

            Frisk felt eyes staring at her, and she whirled behind her. There, some twenty feet away and standing next to a tree, was Kumatora, who had her hand raised in their direction. Frisk saw thick streams of vapor drifting from her rainbow gloved fingers, much like the breath that was still visible in the cold.

            Sans turned his gaze to meet the new arrival. “You!” he said, his voice trembling with shock. “You made that weird wind?”

            Frisk blinked in confusion, still shivering from the sudden cold. This strange human made that wind? There was no way.  The only explanation for that strange cold wind was…magic…

            Frisk’s mind went to the boy, Lucas, who, despite being a human child, used telepathy to call her. She recalled that Kumatora had known Lucas, and that, like him, her eyes possessed no pupils…

            It wasn’t a coincidence that she had appeared now. Of course she could use magic too. Frisk had been right before. So…just who was this girl?

            Kumatora looked down at her hands in wonder. It seemed like she was surprised that she had summoned the winds. “Huh…” she grunted. Then, she clinched her fists and started marching up to Frisk and Sans, her expression fierce.

            “Uhhh…” Amethyst groaned. Frisk saw her rubbing her hands on her head as she struggled to get up. She opened her eyes a sliver, and she put her hand on her gem, apparently trying to summon her whips again. “You…” she growled lowly.

            Frisk had to stop the fighting before it began again. She dashed over to Amethyst in a blur, grabbed her wrists, and shouted as best as she could. “Stop! Stop fighting!”

            “Get outta my way!” Amethyst growled, trying to push Frisk out of the way.

            “Please! Stop!” Frisk pleaded. If she could just make her understand… “They don’t want to hurt anyone!”

            “They’re Monsters!” Amethyst insisted. “I’ve spent five thousand years protecting the Earth from things like them! And I’ve never seen anything like them before!”

            Frisk felt a pang of anger and anxiety at that statement. So even magical beings like the Gems hated things that they didn’t understand? Why? The Monsters haven’t done anything wrong! If the _Gems_ were going to act like this, then how were the humans…

            Sans’s eyes turned black with anger. “ **So…”** he growled, his voice deep and low. “ **Just because we’re different, we deserve to die? Is that what you’re saying, you pebble?** ”

            “Don’t give me that ‘don’t me by race’ shit!” Amethyst yelled. “We saw ya attack that girl!” Amethyst emphasized her point by pointing at Kumatora, who had caught up to the group.

            Kumatora’s face feel and she looked down at the ground. She…ashamed, and Frisk didn’t know any better, she would saw that Kumatora was… blushing

            “Actually…” Kumatora began. “I…might have had that punch coming.”

            Amethyst blinked in confusion. “Uh…what?”

            “I…kind of tried to interrogate that blond boy that was with the Monsters. And when he said he didn’t know anything… I kind of choked him and yelled in his face…”

            “You what?” Amethyst shouted.

            “He knew my name!” Kumatora cried, suddenly getting defensive. “And somehow, I knew his! I thought that if he knew that much, he’d know more about me!”

            “but he didn’t.” Sans stated bluntly. “and when ya got pissy, he started to cry. and undyne doesn’t like bullies, sweetheart.”

            “Oh, screw you!” Kumatora shouted at him. “That bitch didn’t have to punch me!”

            “Ohhhh…” Amethyst moaned, holding her head in her hands. “If what you’re saying is true, then…”

            “ya’ll attacked us monsters for nothin.” Sans finished, a malicious grin forming on his face. “ya put the kids in danger, beat my brother nearly to death, and your friends are…”

            “I get it!” Amethyst shouted. “I’m sorry, okay? Can we drop it now?”

            Relief washed through Frisk’s body, as Sans walked up to Papyrus, who was still groaning. She stopped the fight. No one had gotten killed… 

            Sans checked Papyrus for more injuries. He gave a small grimace when he ran his hand over the new crack on his skull. Amethyst limped up to them, noticeably looking down the ground.

            “Is he…did I hurt him?” Amethyst asked, shame and concern in her voice.

            Sans gave Amethyst a hard look, making her flinch. “Nahhhhh…” Sans said sarcastically. “an explosion could _never_ hurt anyone…”

            Amethyst grimaced and looked away. Sans seemed to notice this, and continued. “ya gave him a big crack in his skull, but he’ll live. just need to get him to a safe place so he can be healed…”

            A loud boom shook the area they were in.

            “What was that?” Kumatora shouted.

            “sounds like king asgore is going wild.” Sans said. With that, he flung Papyrus over his shoulder.

            “Sans…” he groaned, his voice much quieter than usual.

            “i gotcha, bro.” Sans said gently.

            “Why…is there ice on your clothes?” Papyrus asked groggily. “Are we…back in…Snowdin?”

            “ _snow_ worries about it, bro.” Sans said. A grin formed on his face, as Frisk and the others cringed at the pun. “just stay _cool_ until we make sure the others are safe, okay?”

            “Sans…” Papyrus groaned, but not because of the physical pain he was in.

            Sans laughed at his expense, a series of snorts and chuckles that was probably the goofiest, most undignified laugh Frisk had ever heard. Frisk couldn’t help but laugh along with him, despite the tenseness of the situation.

            Her new friends and family were in danger, and they were up against Earth’s greatest defenders, who simply didn’t know they weren’t a threat. And she had so many questions swirling in her mind that her head ached. She appreciated any attempt to break the tension.

            Sans looked back towards the woods. “welp, no use standin here like statues. let’s blow this hotdog stand.”

….

            Normally, Steven wouldn’t be so scared when Pearl went off to fight. Sure, whenever she went out on missions with the rest of the Crystal Gems, he would worry, because he would never know if something just chose to go wrong. But now…

            Pearl was one of the strongest, most skilled people Steven had ever met. But as much Steven hated to admit it, besides himself, Pearl was the weakest of the Crystal Gems. And from what he could tell, this Undyne woman was very skilled among the Monsters, and almost certainly stronger than her. If they fought…

            As Steven and Connie ran through the woods, Steven listened to his surroundings as best as she could. Pearl had always emphasized that as a Gem, his senses were more sensitive to things that other humans could detect. She stressed that he needed to use _all_ of his senses, even the ones that people didn’t really on that much like touch or taste.

            That training seemed to be paying off a bit, because Steven was noticing traces of Pearl and Undyne all over the place. Foot prints of left by Pearl. Broken branches left by Undyne jumping through the trees. Craters left by an energy blast of some sort…

            Unfortunately, the trail of destruction seemed to end abruptly.

            “Steven...” Connie said, her voice trembling with anxiety. “Did where did they go?”

            Suddenly, the clang of metal against metal and wicked laughter rang through the woods. It seemed to be coming to their right.

            “I’m going to say that way.” Steven said, and they bolted to the right. The sounds fighting became louder, until Steven and Connie came out through a clearing.

            There, Pearl and Undyne were having the most intense fight Steven had ever seen. Undyne was attacking furiously, swinging her spear at Pearl, thrusting with the point, occasionally trying to knock Pearl off balance with a punch to the face or a kick to the legs. But for all the ferocity put into the attack, none of it hit Pearl, who neatly evaded the incoming blows, weaving around her strikes in a coordinated dance.

            After a few seconds of this clash, Undyne growled and tried to sweep Pearl’s legs out from under her, but Pearl leapt above it with a twirl, and kicked Undyne right in the face. The force of the blow made Undyne roll a short distance away from Pearl.

Undyne rolled back on her feet and rubbed her head in pain. Then, to Steven’s surprise, she gave a gravely laugh. “Gotta admit, string bean!” she said. “You’re pretty good!”

“You’re not too bad yourself.” Pearl replied, twirling her spear. “Though your technique is so unrefined.” She added dismissively.

Undyne glared at her and growled. “Ya want technique? I’ll show ya technique!” With that, she hurled her spear at spear with all her might. Pearl jumped out of the way, the soaring spear impaling itself into the ground.

Then Undyne did something unexpected. She summoned another spear to her hand swung it in Pearl’s direction. Pearl blinked in confusion, but then a green glow started to shine from the gem on her forehead.

“What?” Pearl gasped. She shook a little, but she didn’t move. It was like she glued to the ground. “What?” Pearl said again, her voice getting louder. “What is this?”

            Undyne laughed boisterously. “I got tired of you dancing around!” She said. “So I decided to pin you in place for a bit! Don’t worry. You can still turn around, but ya can’t change spots! You’re gonna have to face my attacks head on if ya wanna live!”

            Pearl gave a look of panic, and Undyne gave a sharp, canine filled grin. “GET READY!” Undyne shouted, and snapped her fingers.

            Spears of light burst into existence, and Steven and Connie didn’t even have time scream as they rushed toward Pearl from the front.

            Pearl growled and slashed with her own spear. Each swing hit one of the magical spears, dissipating it entirely.

            Another set of energy spears appeared behind Pearl and this time, Steven had time to shout “Pearl!” and point. Pearl twitched as the spears came towards her and spun her own weapon, knocking the spears away.

            Undyne laughed again. “Ya catch on quick! Alright then! NO MORE HOLDING BACK!”

            More spears appeared, this time at Pearl’s side, and launched themselves even more quickly than before. As soon as Pearl deflected them, another set appeared to her right, and Pearl struggled to knock them away.

            The fight went on like this for a while. On and on the spears of energy came, getting faster and faster as Undyne tried with all her might to impale Pearl on them. And again and again, Pearl would deflect them, no matter how quick they seemed to get. Sometimes, the spears would suddenly change directions, trying to mislead Pearl and hit her from behind, but Pearl must have been at the peak of her focus, because she knocked them away as well.

            Steven watched in awe, not daring to speak out of fear of breaking Pearl’s concentration. He had known Pearl was skilled, but he never seen her move this quickly. Her spear was a blur, and she meet Undyne’s attacks with precise calculated movements, without a trace of panic or fear. And even after a few minutes of this rigorous exercise, Pearl didn’t seem to tire one bit…

            Eventually, Undyne grew sick of the routine. “Goddamn it!” She growled. “STOP MOVING!!!!”

            “What’s the matter?” Pearl asked, with a smug little smile on her face. “Is that all you have?”

            “GAAAHHH!” Undyne screamed in frustration, and swung her spear at Pearl again. In an instant, the green glow around Pearl’s gem faded.

            “Huh.” Pearl said, as she pirouetted to see that her movement was back. “For a creature made entirely of magic, I thought that surely you would be stronger than that. I guess I was mistaken.” Pearl still had that smug, arrogant grin on her face, and it was making Steven feel uneasy…

            Undyne screamed and at rushed at Pearl, but she dodged easily. Pearl did a little pirouette as she landed and said, “Okay. It’s my turn now.”

            Pearl pressed her hands to her gem, and started to hum. White light appeared from the gem. Then, her form started divide itself, making two, crudely detailed blue holographic Pearls by her side. She did this again and again, until there were eight Holo-Pearls by the original Pearl.

            A pit formed in Steven’s stomach. He didn’t have good memories of Holo-Pearls. Like the time that the Holo-Pearl had stabbed Pearl through the chest, dispelling her physical form and forcing her to reform from her gem. Or the time that the Holo-Pearl tried to kill Steven when he was alone. Or the time when Pearl sent a whole horde of Holo-Pearls at Connie with the intent to kill…

            “Holo-Pearls!” Pearl declared with the air of a commander, and pointing her spear at Undyne. “Strike her down!”

            The Holo-Pearls’ eyes turned red and pointed, forming an uncanny, unified glare among them.

            Undyne looked bewildered for a moment, and then laughed loudly. “Alright then, twinkle toes! Show me what ya’ve got!”

In a unified run, the Holo-Pearls all rushed at Undyne, spears drown for the kill…

            But before they could make a single blow, Undyne snapped her fingers. Circles of cyan light appeared in the spots below the Holo-Pearls. In an instant, spears of magic burst from the circles, stabbing through the Holo-Pearls like wet tissue paper. All of the Holo-Pearls collapsed mere feet away from Undyne and disappeared into particles of light.

            The Holo-Pearls didn’t even last a second.

            Pearl looked positively dumbfounded, as Undyne burst into laughter. “Wow!” Undyne gasped in between laughter. “You were talking all that good shit a moment ago, but ya sure don’t have the game to back it up!”

            Pearl growled in frustration, and Steven could practically see the blue on Pearl’s face as she blushed. “Don’t you mock me!” she growled.

            Undyne laughed even harder. “Well if ya can’t take the heat, then get outta the kitchen!”

            “Oh, you want heat?” Pearl shouted. With a twirl, she pointed her spear at Undyne.

            Undyne looked confused, but then flinched when the spear started to glow. Steven feel the air buzzing on his gem, and shouted, “Pearl! Stop!”

            “Steven?” Pearl gasped, immediately turning her attention to face Steven. The glow in her spear flickered for a second…

            But that distraction was all Undyne needed. In a brief few seconds, Undyne dashed all the clearing to Pearl. Before Pearl could react, Undyne slammed her fist across her face with crushing force.

            Connie screamed as the devastating blow knocked Pearl to the ground. Pearl tried to get up, but Undyne kicked her in the stomach and sent her flying a short distance onto her back.

            “Stop it, please!” Steven shouted, running toward two fighters as she did so. He had to stop this. They couldn’t hurt each other…

            Undyne didn’t hear him, and instead laughed. “Ya shouldn’a taken yer eyes off the battlefield, twinkle toes!”

            “You…” Pearl growled, trying, but failing, to push herself onto her feet. “Impudent…dull…unrefined…BEAST!”

            In any other situation, Steven would have laughed at the fact that Pearl of all people tried to be intimidating. But in this context, it _really_ was not amusing at all.

 Undyne growled and lowered her spear at Pearl. “YER FISH BAIT, PUNK!!!!!” With a booming battle cry, Undyne charged at Pearl.

“No!” Steven yelled, as he ran, aiming to place himself between Pearl and the woman trying to impale her. _I can’t let this happen! I can’t! I have to protect the both of them! I’ve gotta…_

Suddenly, Steven feeling a hot sensation swell in his gut and he knew his rose quartz gem was starting to shine. He placed himself in front of Undyne, with her spear tip mere inches away from his body.

Steven barely has time to register the look of shock on Undyne’s face as a blinding pink light burst in between them. In an instant, the light solidified, forming a shining, round, pink shield that was as big as Steven himself.

Undyne’s spear hit the shield with a loud _bang,_ and the spear shattered into pieces. The force of blow was so strong that shockwave burst through the area, rippling through the grass and shaking the trees. Undyne screamed as she was blown back several feet into the air and crashed into the ground.

Steven had managed to dig his feet into the ground, so while he was knocked back a few inches, he managed to keep his balance. Still, his arm was numb and throbbing from deflecting the spear.

Undyne groaned, as she pushed herself up, still clearly dazed. “Who…? What…?”

“Steven!” Pearl shouted at him, trying to get up. “Get away from here! You can’t handle this!”

“No Pearl!” Steven shouted back, looking at her and then Undyne. “Both of you have _got_ to stop!”

“Wait…” Undyne said, rubbing her head. “That light… It came from…”

Realization flashed across Undyne’s face like a bolt of lightning. Then, the realization turned to fury. “You’re one of them!” she screamed. “I saw the gem on your stomach!”

Undyne conjured another spear, and got ready to throw it at Steven, but Connie rushed in front of him, yelling “No! Don’t hurt him!”

“Please!” Steven pleaded, dispelling his shield and trying to make himself look as non-threatening as possible. “We don’t want to fight! We just want to talk!”

“Steven!” Pearl cried shrilly. “She’s a Monster! They’re want to kill humans!”

“Bullshit!” Undyne yelled, jabbing her spear in Pearl’s direction. “You Gem freaks attacked us first!”

            “ENOUGH!” Steven screamed as loudly as he could, making Pearl and Undyne flinch.

            Steven took a few breaths. He normally didn’t like raising his voice, but he had been getting sick of people fighting for ridiculous reasons. He was sick of the Gems immediately trying to destroy something if it looked remotely threatening. If everyone just took a single second to stop and ask questions _before_ trying to beat something up, misunderstandings like this wouldn’t happen…

After a few seconds, Steven calmed down, and started speaking. “Please…Both of you… Listen to me…” He turned to Pearl, who was still struggling to get up. “Pearl, Connie and I talked to the Monsters before Undyne hit that girl. They have no interest in hurting humans. They want to make peace with us and live on the Surface.”

“But that…beast injured that girl!” Pearl protested. “And they said they were trying to enslave you and the children!”

“WE NEVER SAID THAT!” Undyne bellowed.

“You called them ‘our humans’!” Pearl protested.

“Yeah! Because the two humans by our side were our friends! In fact, the girl in the stripped sweater freed us and is our new ambassador! And Lady Toriel took in the boy because he had no memories!”

“W-w-w-what?” Pearl stammered in surprise. “That’s…that’s… You’re lying!” Pearl suddenly yelled. “You hurt that defenseless human!”

“That ‘defenseless human’ was hurting that little boy you took away from us! She made him cry! And I’m wasn’t gonna sit there and watch!”

“You…” Pearl began.

Undyne cut her off, pointing her at Pearl accusingly. “And what about you _Gems_? Asgore and Toriel told me all about ya! How you want to destroy the planet and everything on it and how ya sealed us Monsters away just to make it easier! Where do ya get off on calling _us_ the threat to humans?”

“They’re not trying to destroy Earth!” Steven cried, turning to Undyne. “Yes, there were Gems that tried to do bad things to the Earth a long time ago, but not every Gem wanted that for the planet! There were Gems gave up everything to protect the planet! Gems who gave up their lives to drive away Homeworld from the Earth!”

“What?” Undyne growled questioningly.

“It’s true!” Connie yelled. “Steven and the Crystal Gems risk their lives every day to protect the planet from supernatural threats! When you hit Kumatora, they thought you wanted hurt us humans!”

“But!” Undyne protested. “Asgore and Toriel said…!”

“Those two weren’t around when the Rebellion started!” Connie cried, cutting Undyne off. “The Monsters were already sealed away! There was no way they could have known!”

“Please…” Steven said gently, stepping toward Undyne. Why couldn’t they understand? If he could just make them understand… “I know the Crystal Gems threatened you, and I know other Gems have done horrible things, but this is all a big misunderstanding.”

Undyne blinked, and her spear lowered ever so slightly. “But…” she said.

 “Please…” Steven continued.  He was almost there. Just a little more… “Let’s talk this through. We don’t have to fight.”

“Steven…” Pearl said in a low voice full with concern, as she crawled to Steven and Connie’s side.

Undyne blinked, and for the first time since Steven had seen her, her face fell with doubt. Then, to Steven’s relief, Undyne jabbed her spear into the ground with a grunt, making it vanish in a burst of light.

Undyne looked back at Steven, and gave a deep chuckle. “Ya know kid…” she said, smiling at him. “The way you talk… you remind me of Frisk. She doesn’t like it when people fight either.”

Steven felt a blush form in his cheeks, and he rubbed the back of his head. He certainly wasn’t expecting a comment like that…

Undyne must have noticed the look on his face, and she laughed. “All right, kid! I’ll desist for now, for your sake and Frisk’s…” Then, very suddenly, the expression on Undyne’s face became fierce. “But if you Gems make one bad move…!” she shouted. “I’LL PUMMBEL YA ALL!”

Steven and Connie jumped from the sudden shouting, “Yes ma’am!” they said at the same time. “We understand!”

“Good!” Undyne yelled.

Steven felt a pressure lift from his shoulder. _Well, that’s two down. Now for the others…_

Suddenly, a thunderous boom shook the area, derailing Steven’s train of thought. Steven felt a heavy buzzing on his Gem, like it was hit with a joy buzzer.

“What was that?” Connie shouted in panic.

            “Those vibrations…” Undyne said softly, and then her face hardened. “It’s King Asgore! He’s throwing a good chunk of magic at someone!”

            “That’s Garnet!” Steven cried.

            “You meant that giant Gem with the gauntlets?” Undyne asked. “She musta got Asgore _real_ riled up if he’s using that much energy on _her.”_

“If your king is fighting Garnet…” Pearl gasped out, raising onto her knees as she did so. “Then the battle is already over.”  
            Undyne turned to glare at her. “Care to repeat that, string bean?”

            “Garnet is the amalgam of the combined magical and physical attributes of two different Gems, fused into a single entity.” Pearl said.

            “Huhnh?” went Undyne, looking thoroughly lost.

            “She is much stronger than me, Steven, or Amethyst. You may have defeated me, but Garnet won’t go down so easily. You’re… _King_ …” Pearl spat out the last word. “Won’t be able to lay a finger on her.”

            Undyne blinked, and then suddenly roared with laughter. “String bean, you have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t who this Garnet girl is, but Asgore is the King of All Monsters! He’s much stronger than any of us! Hell, he so strong he makes me look like you!”

            Pearl gritted her teach and growled. “What’s that supposed to mean you…”

            “Guys!” Connie cried, pointing at the forest. “Our friends are in trouble! You can finish measuring spears later!”

            “Measuring spears?” Pearl asked. “We’re not…”

            “SHE’S RIGHT!” Undyne shouted, making everyone jump “LET’S STOP YOUR FRIEND FROM BEING KILLED!”

            With that, she leapt to Pearl’s side, picked her up, and threw her over her shoulders.

            “W-w-w-wha?” Pearl cried, completely flustered. “Put me down, you brute!”

            Undyne snorted. “Just sit tight until we get there. If you’re good, then I _might_ consider getting Lady Toriel to heal ya.”

            Steven turned to look at her. “Oh, she won’t need to do that. I can heal her just fine.”

            Undyne blinked. “That so…” she said, as if she was thinking about something. Then, she turned to the direction of the boom and gave savage, sharp-toothed grin. “All right, chumps!” she shouted, looking at Steven and Connie. “LET’S SEE IF YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH ME!”

….

            _Kumatora… Lucas…_

Two simple names. That’s all those words were. Only names. And yet, at the moment, those two names were the only thing that occupied the back of Lucas’s mind. They were the only thing keeping him grounded and focused on the events happening around him.

 Because those two simple names were all he had. When he was found by the girl named Frisk, there was nothing in his mind. Everything was like a sheet of paper that hadn’t been written or drawn on. He didn’t know how or why his mind got like that, or what he had been doing before he got like that. Sure, he knew how to talk. He knew what plants and animals are. He knew why the sky was blue. But he had nothing hold on to, nothing to guide him in the world he found himself in, nothing to tell him that he wasn’t alone…

Then, like a storm front, the terror settled in. He had tried to push it away, had tried to not think about it and continue on his way through the forest, but the terror had begun to overwhelm him. He had called for help, screaming as loudly as his little voice could manage. He screamed for what felt like an entity, until his throat was hot and throbbing and his legs were sore from all the walking he had done.

But no one came.

The terror reached his throat, making it so tight he couldn’t use his voice, and he could hardly breathe. But even as black spots clouded his vision, he marched on, shouting for someone to help in his own mind, praying for someone, _anyone_ , to find him. But eventually, terror and exhaustion took their toll, and he knew had to stop. As the black spots expanded to cover his vision, his legs got heavy, and he knew he was going to collapse. The last thing he remembered seeing was sunflowers, as golden as the afternoon sun, and a blue spot coming toward him before he fell into a deep sleep…

Except it hadn’t really a sleep.

 Sure, his eyes were closed, and he couldn’t move his body, but his mind was still active.  He was floating in the dark, unable to see his hand in front of his face.  It was cold, and he still as tired as he did when he fell unconscious…

Then the voices came. He had no idea what they were or where they came from, but the voices were there, whispering in his ear and knocking at the back of his mind. He tried to shut them out, but the whispers still came. For the most part, Lucas couldn’t understand what the voices were saying, but occasionally, he was able to make out a few words.

_Frisk…who is that?_

_Is he royalty…?_

_Perhaps he’s…_

_There’s magic in these objects…_

_Telepathy… that’s rare…_

Just when Lucas thought that he couldn’t take anymore, a glimmer of light appeared in the distance, brightening the darkness ahead of him. From that light, a voice rang from the darkness, calling to him.

 _Small one…_ _Please… come back to us…_

The voice was warm, like the sun emerging from a storm cloud and shining down on a frozen Earth. Lucas took a few steps forward, and the light brightened slightly, and the warmth got stronger. Lucas felt some of his wiriness fade away from his bones, and the cold around him dissipate slightly.

As Lucas moved further towards the light, it suddenly expanded, engulfing him, filling his vision with white. For a second, Lucas felt like he was wrapped in a warm blanket, with the mid afternoon sun shining down on him. All of the weariness and cold around Lucas was washed away, and he felt life return to his body. His eyes fluttered open, eager to see the one how had helped him…

But instead of seeing a person, he saw a monster. The one holding him was a huge woman with the head of a goat, with crimson eyes, a pair of small horns at the top of her head, and small fangs protruding from her upper lip. He looked to the side, only to see an even larger goat man, a fish woman, and a round skeleton.

Panic started to fill Lucas, and it didn’t fade even when the goat woman holding him smiled at him. What were these creatures? Why were they here? What did they want…?

Lucas’s train of thought was derailed as a skeleton that he hadn’t even seen burst in front of him and started screaming incoherent words at him.

The fear that Lucas thought he had left behind returned. He tried to run, but his own body betrayed him and he collapsed. Lucas couldn’t believe it! Where was the one who saved him? Was he rescued just so he could be killed by these monsters? No… That couldn’t be true… It wasn’t fair!

All Lucas could think to do was curl into a ball and cry until the monsters decided to kill him. But instead of feeling teeth and claws tearing into him, he heard a gentle voice call to him.

“We’re not going to hurt you, my child…”

Not going to hurt him? “But…you’re…you’re”

 _Monsters…_ he had tried to say, but he choked up at the word. He settled with “What are you?”

“WE’RE MONSTERS!” one of them had shouted at him. Which only confirmed what Lucas had already known and the fear in his heart got even tighter.

But just when Lucas thought he was doomed for sure, another voice called to him. “It’s okay. No one is here to hurt you. You called me for help, remember?”

Lucas paused at this. He remembered yelling for help in the woods, but no one had heard him. Had they?

Lucas took his head out of his knees to look at the source of this new voice. The person before him was a child. A human child, just like himself. For a second, Lucas was confused as to whether the child was a girl or a boy, but something in the back of his mind told him that she was a girl. The girl had straight dark brown hair that was cut short to her neck. She was dressed in a blue sweater that had a purple strip running through the middle, blue shorts, and brown shoes. When Lucas looked up at the girl’s face, he noticed a light scar running across her left cheek, and her eyes…

Lucas blinked. There didn’t seem to be anything special about her eyes. They were just a basic brown shade. But there was a softness in them. A gentleness that, despite the tears running down his face, made him feel a little better.

“I…called you?” Lucas asked.

The girl nodded. “You said you needed help… so I came to help.”

“You’re…a person…like me…”

The girl nodded again. “These Monsters are my…”  The girl paused for a moment, before finishing. “Family. They won’t hurt you. I promise.”

The fear in his heart told Lucas that he had no reason to believe this stranger. That she could have been lying, or might be a monster herself. But the more Lucas looked at her, the same voice in the back of his mind to him that this girl was telling the truth. That he could trust her. That these monsters were not actually all that monstrous…

As Lucas wiped away the tears in his eyes, there was cough. He looked toward the source, and saw the goat woman who was holding him. “Small one…Forgive us for frightening you. Are you alright?”

Now that Lucas was actually looking at her, he saw that the woman really didn’t look as ferocious as he originally thought. She certainly wasn’t human, but with the white fur that covered her body, and the purple robe she wore, she managed to seem rather soft and delicate. The fangs that had scared Lucas before suddenly didn’t seem so big, and actually made the woman seem…rather cute…in a cute animal sort of way. But what threw Lucas off the most was her voice. For coming from an animal monster twice his size, her voice sounded rather gentle and sweet. Almost like…

_She’s actually worried about me…_

Suddenly, the tall skeleton rushed up to Lucas and unleashed a torrent of loud, incoherent words. Lucas barely understood any of it, only hearing, ““GREAT TO HEAR…! WHAT… YOUR NAME? WHERE….? DID YOU COME HERE…? WHY….  CLOTHING OF ROYALITY? WHY…”?

Lucas was overwhelmed. What was this skeleton saying? Why was he yelling at him? Did he do something wrong...?

Lucas thanked his lucky stars that the fish woman pulled the skeleton away. They started their own loud conversation, but Lucas didn’t care. He just needed a second to breathe…

Another cough caught everyone’s attention. This time, the cough came from the goat man, who was just behind the woman. “Child…” he asked, his voice deep, “Do you know why you’re here?”

            Lucas paused to think. Why was he here? He remembered that he walked to this clearing, but why? There must be a reason why he was in the woods. But like before, he couldn’t think of an answer.

“No.” Lucas responded.

            The goat man frowned for a moment, before smiling. “Well then, are you lost?” he asked, gently.

            “I…think so…” Lucas said.

             The goat man walked toward Lucas, until he was only a step away from him. When he was this close, it sank in for Lucas just how much the goat man towered over him, and just how much stronger than him he probably was. Lucas couldn’t stop himself from flinching when the monster came down to his knees and extended his hand. But to Lucas’s surprise, the goat man noticed this, and stopped his hand, looking genuinely concerned. Then, the goat man smiled at him again. He shook his hand, as if asking Lucas to take it.

            The fear in his heart caused Lucas to freeze for a second, but that second of pause caused him to notice things about the goat man that he hadn’t before. Lucas saw that the goat man, above the coat of white fur that covered his body, had a mane of hair that was the same shade of gold as his own, and a well-trimmed beard that was the same color.  His pair of horns were much larger than the woman’s, and he had golden crown at the top of his head and bright blue eyes. These features, when combined with the golden armor he wore and his large frame, made the goat man look rather regal. He could have seemed intimating too, but…he didn’t. Lucas looked for sign that the goat man was lying, anything that make him seem sinister in any way, but there wasn’t anything sinister about that he could see. If anything, the goat man seemed…kind of warm and welcoming, and that smile certainly helped him look the part.

            Lucas, unable to find any reason why he should give the strange creature a chance, took the hand that was reached out for him. The goat man, with good amount of force, pulled Lucas up to his feet. Even when he was standing up straight, Lucas still only came up to the goat man’s waist.

            “Are you feeling well enough to do a little bit of walking?” the goat man asked.

            Lucas looked up at the Monster. He still seemed genuine concern in his face. “Yes.” Lucas said.

            The goat man turned to the forest, as if thinking of something, then turned back to Lucas.  “Then let us return to the base of the mountain. We’ll settle down a little, make some tea, and we’ll discuss what to do next.” He looked down at Lucas, still with that warm smile. “Perhaps, if you wish, you could tell us a little more about yourself. Maybe we can find where you came from.”

….

            The walk had given Lucas a few moments to think about his situation. He tried to think about what memories he had, but the lack of any memory only made him upset. He wanted to talk to someone about it, but the only people around him were these strange monsters. Sure, they hadn’t hurt him so far, but the fish woman with the eye-patch looked so ferocious and she was _so loud_! Practically every word she said was screamed at the top over lungs, and she growled constantly. Not that tall skeleton was much better. Sure, he didn’t growl and he wasn’t as aggressive as the fish woman, but he somehow managed to be _even louder_ than the woman, with an even higher pitched voice, and he kept trying to come up to Lucas to ask questions he didn’t know the answer to.

            And then there was the round skeleton. At first, Lucas didn’t really have anything to be afraid of from him. He kept his distance from Lucas, and he was nowhere near as loud as his other two monsters. If anything, he was very quiet, and on the occasions when he spoke to respond to the other two, he would speak in a low, mellow voice. And with that wide, goofy grin that never seemed to leave his face, the round skeleton seemed very pleasant to be around.

            But whenever Lucas turned his back away from him, he would feel…something…odd. Something very hard to describe in words. On the surface, it felt like the skeleton was staring at him, and on some level, Lucas knew that this was true. But the stare felt…much deeper and personal than that. There was a pressure. It was like the skeleton was peering into his soul, and trying to dissect him with his eye sockets. He would turn to look back the skeleton, only find him looking away, talking to his friends. The pressure would leave, but the cold would still be there. Lucas tried to ignore this, he couldn’t shake the uneasiness eating away at him when the stare fell on him again. Eventually, Lucas had enough, and when the stare came back, he would run up to the goat people and the human girl, and then the stare would fade.

            This suited Lucas fine, because he found the goat people and the girl were much easier to deal with. They didn’t bombard Lucas with a thousand questions or shout at Lucas so quickly and loudly that he couldn’t understand them. They stayed close, but they didn’t get in too close. They would look at him from time to time, but there wasn’t anything invasive or prodding in the gazes, only curiosity and concern. The girl seemed especially curious. Lucas didn’t know why. Was it because he was the only other human around here?

            At some points, Lucas have would found himself walking alongside with the goat people.  He just felt…more at ease when he was around them. Maybe that was because they simply looked warm and fluffy with their white fur and soft features. Or maybe it was because they actually seemed friendly and sane compared to the other Monsters. After all, the goat king had been so gentle with Lucas before, and he still seemed concerned with his well-being. So much so, that whenever Lucas was near him, he would lower his volume, not taking his eyes from him, and slow down ever so slightly, apparently doing his best to not to scare him. And occasionally, he would let the girl swing from his arms, chuckling as she did so. It was…rather endearing, and Lucas couldn’t help but feel a bit of warm in his chest as the man did those things.

            Not that the woman was any less endearing. From the few times that Lucas had heard her speak, he recognized her voice as the one who had called to him when he woke up. He remembered that the woman was the one who was holding him, and that there was a trace of the warm glimmer that had taken away his weariness around her. Apparently, she had been the one that had healed him. Unlike the man, she hadn’t seemed worried about scaring Lucas, and carried herself with a sort of graceful confidence. Still, she had a certain warmth about her. She would smile at Lucas when she looked back to check on him, and occasionally, when Lucas walked near her, she would put her hand on his shoulder. Sometimes, she would just use it to guide him through an unseen turn, but other times, she would just…keep it there. At first, Lucas felt a little uncomfortable with it, but eventually, he found he thought it felt nice.

            Neither the goat people nor the girl tried to ask him any questions, Lucas was happy about. There was too much in his mind already without strangers interrogating him.

            Eventually, they had stopped in the clearing by the mountain. With Lucas’s permission, the goat man took away the cloak, crown, and staff he was carrying (when had he gotten those?). The other monsters went off and did they’re business, leaving Lucas alone with the goat woman and his thoughts.

            At least, for a second. The human girl suddenly approached him, waving at him. “Hi” she said, with a cheerful smile on her face.

            Lucas felt a pang of panic, much to his embarrassment. The girl was actually talking to him. “Hi…” he managed to reply.

            The girl was still smiling at him. “So…my name is Frisk. What’s your name?”

            The moment she asked that question, Lucas froze. That…was a very good question. What _was_ his name? Lucas tried think about it, tried hard to pull out an answer, but nothing came. It was like trying to grab a rock from thin air.

            Suddenly, Lucas could feel the eyes of the monsters upon him. Despite his best efforts, the fear came back again, an icy cold that planted itself in his heart and creeped its way around his chest. The monsters wanted an answer, but he couldn’t give them one. Why? Why couldn’t he remember his name? That was the most basic thing a person should know about themselves. So why…?

            “I…don’t know...” Lucas said.

            There was a commotion among the monsters, but Lucas didn’t understand them. He was too busy trying to remember, trying to pull anything from the haze that was clouding the back of his mind. But the more he tried, the more the haze seemed to thicken.

            Lucas heard the goat woman talk to him. “Child… do remember anything about yourself? Your family? Your friends? Your home? Anything?”

 “No…. I don’t know anything…” As Lucas said this, the panic and fear in his chest swelled, filling his chest, the pressure build so much that he thought it would explode. His vision turned spotty. Why couldn’t he remember anything? Why was he here? Did he do something wrong? Lucas felt tears running down his face. Where were his friends and family? Did he even have any? Who… was he?

             “Hey…no, no, no…” Lucas looked from the ground to see Frisk talking to him, her voice gentle, her hand on his shoulder.  “It’ll be okay. Maybe your memory will come back soon. We only just found you, right?”

            That wasn’t very reassuring, and to Lucas’s embarrassment, he sniffled. He appreciated the gentle words, but that didn’t change the fact he was alone and didn’t remember anything about himself. And besides…  “What if it doesn’t come back?” Lucas said.

            Lucas felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the goat woman, smiling gently. “We won’t know if it will come back until it does.” She said.  “Until such a time comes…we’ll have to find you a place to live.”

            A…place to live? Lucas agreed with her, but he had no idea what to do about it. How he was he supposed to find a home when he didn’t have any memories… Wait… what had she meant by… Lucas peered into the woman’s crimson eyes, and saw a warmth there… A warmth that was being directed at him.

            Did…she mean with her? A place to live with her… and these monsters? Lucas’s first thought was to say no, but then he stopped. These monsters hadn’t tried to hurt him at all, even though they had plenty of opportunities to do so. The younger monsters, while possessing very overwhelming personalities, seemed friendly enough. Expect for the round skeleton, but even he hadn’t made a move to hurt him. And the goat people… They had been so kind to him. They treated him with such warmth, even though they knew nothing about him. Maybe staying with them wouldn’t be such a bad idea…

            “OH!!!” the tall skeleton suddenly screamed, interrupting Lucas’s train of thought. “FRISK! IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A NEW BROTHER! HOW EXCITING! THOUGH I CAN ONLY HOPE HE ISN’T AS…INACTIVE AS MINE…”

            “whatever do you mean, bro?” the round skeleton asked.

             “SANS, WHO WAS IT THAT PACKED OUR BAGS FOR THE TRIP?!?!”

            “you, but you made me chase you down when the barrier opened.”

            “BUT YOU FELL ASLEEP WHEN YOU FOUND ME! I HAD TO CARRY YOU BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN!”

            Lucas was a bit lost. “Why… is that a big deal?” he asked. “He’s a skeleton.”

            Lucas noticed the gleam in Sans eyes grow brighter. “Well kid…” he began. “i may just be bones, but i still weigh a ton… a skele-ton.”

            _Did…he just make a pun_? Lucas thought, as he laughed out loud.

 Apparently, the tall skeleton didn’t appreciate the pun. “SANS!” he shouted.

            “what is it, bro? didn’t tickle your _funny bone_?”

            “SANS!” Papyrus cried even louder. Lucas laughed again, and this time the goat woman joined him.

            “come on, bro. I thought you would be more _humerous_ than that?”

       “GGGRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” the skeleton screamed at the top of his voice, pressing his hands to his head.

            Despite himself, Lucas laughed at the display. He knew that the puns were childish, and that he probably shouldn’t be laughing at it, but they were so silly coming from the round skeleton Sans that it made him laugh. Though, the tall skeleton’s rather strong reaction to the puns might have helped.

            Once Lucas stopped laughing, he heard the goat woman speak to him again. “So, child… If you have nowhere to go… would you like to come with us?”

            That question gave Lucas pause. He hadn’t been keen on being with these strange creatures when he first saw them, but now… These monsters had been so kind to him, and no matter how hard he looked, he saw no any sign that they were tricking him. If he had to go live with a set of stranger he had just met, he could have done a lot worse. Besides, even if he didn’t want to go with them, there was still the fact he still had no idea who he was, where he came from, or what to do. Lucas shivered at the thought, as the ice of panic that he had fought off before creeped around his heart again.

            Before he met the monsters, he was alone, and he had no memories to help guide him. He had nothing to stabilize himself in the chaos of the outside world. But with the monsters…well, he still had no memories, but he would be in a stable place until he remembered.

            The ice around his heart had kept trying to tell him that he couldn’t trust them, that they were monsters. But then he looked at the goat woman and the goat man in the eyes, and when he saw the same warmth that he saw earlier, the ice around his heart melted. He was safe with them. He could trust them. He had stability.

            “I…” he said, preparing to answer.

            But then, just like that, the stability collapsed, and it only took two words to break it. “HEY! MONSTERS!”

            In hindsight, it shouldn’t have been a big deal. The people confronting them were children like himself. There wasn’t any problem. But that girl…the scary one with the pink hair…the one who was accusing the monsters…he had seen her before… Where had he seen her…?

            The moment their eyes met, Lucas’s world was filled with…images. Him and the girl, walking up a snowy mountain together, laughing loudly together, although Lucas didn’t see what they were laughing at… Him and the girl, looking at a shadowy figure in a cave, with the girl standing in front of him, crossing her arm over him, as if to protect him… Him and the girl, embracing each other tightly, Lucas wailing into her arms, the girl having tears running down her face… Him and the girl, laying together under a starry sky, slowly drifting to peaceful sleep in each other’s arms…

            Lucas flinched, as single word…no…a name…materialized in his mind. And from the way that the girl had held her head, the same thing happened to her. “L-Lucas?” she had stammered.

            Something had clicked in Lucas’s mind when she said that, and he knew that was his name, just like the name that he knew was hers… “Kuma…Kumatora?” he squeaked.

            They had stared at each other for a moment, and then, to Lucas’s shock, the girl, Kumatora, grabbed him, lifted him up, and started yelling at him! She shouted how he was lying about not know who he was, which was something he had been trying to figure out all morning! Why? What did he do wrong? He just told the truth! Why didn’t she believe him? Why was she going to hurt him? They were friends! Right…?

            The moment that he saw Kumatora punched across the clearing was when everything broke down. The panic came back stronger than ever, flooding his mind, filling his vision with static. He was vaguely aware of being carried away, and when he saw straight, he was next to three strange…. women? Why did they have gems on their bodies…? The women were yelling at the monsters, and the goat people looked scared. Were the women threatening them? What was going on?

            Shouting…. So much shouting…. The fish woman attacked them. Why? The three women with gems charged them...They’re attacking them! Why? The monsters did nothing wrong! They were his friends! Why were they attacking them?

            Then his friends left, with those strange women chasing them. They were going to kill his friends! They were going to kill them! Why? Was it because of Kumatora? But that was his fault! The monsters weren’t to blame! Lucas’s breath got labored, and it felt like he was falling into a pit. They were going die! They were going to die, and it was all his…!

            “LUCAS!!!!!!”

            Lucas’s eyes opened. When did he close them?

            He was looking up at the goat woman, who was looking at him with the most concerned look on her face. They were on the trail that they had seen the King of Monsters go down. They were trying to find them.

            “Small one!” the goat woman said, putting her hands on both his shoulders. “What happened? You stopped moving! Your eyes were shut tight, you were trembling, and…that look on your face!”

            Lucas blinked, noticing the tears trialing down his face. What…happened? Did he just black out?

            Lucas turned to the goat woman. “I’m fine, miss. I just… I’m fine…” That wasn’t quite true. There was so much going through his mind that his thoughts felt like mush. Why did he pass out? Did it have something to do with the precious few memories that returned?  Would he remember the rest soon…?

            It didn’t matter now. It pained him, but his lost memories would have to wait. At this moment, his new friends were in danger, and he had to help them.

            The goat woman eyed him, still seeming very concerned, and then sighed. “We’ll talk about this later.” She turned back to face the trail. “Right now, we must stop His Royal Highness from falling to harm.”


	5. Clash at Mount Ebott (part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas and Toriel find Asgore and Garnet and try to put a stop to the fighting. Unfortunately, Garnet makes a mistake that forces Asgore to show exactly why he's the King of all Monsters. Can Lucas stop him before it's too late?  
> No crying until the end, okay?

They ran down the trial, with the goat woman dragging Lucas by the hand. It was hard to keep up with the woman’s lengthy stride, especially since she was so much taller than him, but somehow he managed.

At first, they didn’t see any trace of King or the Gem named Garnet being there. However, just when Lucas thought they had went down the wrong trail, they came across a fallen tree in the middle of the path. The goat woman stopped and ran down to the place where the tree split to investigate.

“This tree looks like it was knocked down by a cannon….” She said. She stood up, and looked at Lucas. “They must have passed through here. But where…?”

Before she could finish, there was a deafening boom. Lucas felt the air rush across his back in a shockwave. He turned his head to see a bright flash of orange-yellow some distance away. Lucas could feel the heat of the explosion even where he sat.

“There!” the goat woman shouted. She seized Lucas’s hand and together they ran towards the explosion. The dust had even settled on the ground by the time they arrived in the area. They didn’t see the King or Garnet.

But as they stood for moment, looking at the scorched section of the forest, a loud banging rang through the air. It sounded like something heavy being struck against metal. Lucas and the woman sprinted in the direction of the banging. As they went closer, Lucas heard other sounds. The sound of a deep voice, grunting, as if it was warding off something. A slightly higher, but still somewhat deep voice, growling and screaming, as if it were striking. Something heavy breaking the ground. And…a buzzing sound? A mosquito? Lucas didn’t quite know how to describe it, but the sound echoed deep in his mind, and it sounded familiar… Eventually, the duo ran up to the edge of a clearing lined with bushes, where the sounds were so loud that Lucas felt like he was surrounded by them…and Lucas was stunned into stillness by the sight before them.

Asgore, the King of all Monsters and Garnet, the Crystal Gem, were fighting in the middle of the clearing.  At the moment, Asgore was on defense, blocking all of the blows from Garnet’s gauntlets with his trident, or if need be, the armor on his forearm. Lucas was amazed that the King was able to keep up, because Garnet was moving so fast that he could barely see her. The gauntlets and the spear met with so much force that a huge number of sparks flew, practically surrounding the fighters with them.

Lucas watched with awe. How could they possibly be fighting like this…?

A tug on his shoulder snapped his attention away from the battle. He looked at the goat woman, as she tugged him behind the bush. “Lucas, you must hide.” She whispered.

“But…” Lucas began, looking to the side to see that Asgore and Garnet were still at it. “I thought we were here to stop them!”

“We are, but it’s too dangerous for you! Please stay here!”

As she said this, there a loud clang. Garnet had managed to break Asgore’s guard and punch him square in the stomach. Asgore gave a loud grunt as the blow sent him a few meters away, but he didn’t fall.

Lucas heard Asgore give a few heaves of breath. He raised his trident, saying to Garnet, “You fight well, Gem.”

Garnet said nothing. Instead, she adjusted the glasses across her eyes and leapt at the King once more. Asgore jumped back, his cape billowing behind him, and the fist crashed into the ground, creating a crater several feet deep.

“Gem…” Asgore said, looking at Garnet right dead in the eye. For the first time, there was none of the warmth that Lucas had seen in his eyes, and he wasn’t smiling at all. “I am only going to say this once. Leave now. Take your friends and yourself, and leave us Monsters alone. If you comply, we’ll put this behind us and let bygones be bygones. If not…”

 _He’s…trying to talk her down._ That’s good. Maybe they didn’t have to get involved after all. Maybe she would listen to him. Maybe…

But Lucas’s hopes were dashed immediately. Garnet responded this time, but with a blunt “No.” Then, as quick as blur, she rushed the King of Monsters and punched him in the jaw with so much force that the impact was audible.

Asgore cried out, and Lucas almost did so himself, but the goat woman’s hand clamped over his mouth, silencing him. Asgore was knocked back a few feet, and he landed flat on his back.

The goat woman growled, as Asgore rolled onto his feet, though he was still on the ground. There was blood trailing from his mouth, as the Gem approached him, taking slow steps.

“Well…he tried.” The goat woman whispered. “But it appears we must disable her before we can negotiate.” He looked at Lucas. “Stay here, child.” She said “I’ll be back soon.” And with that, she slinked off, staying hidden in the bushes of the surrounding area, carefully making sure that she made as little noise as possible.

Garnet was still walking toward Asgore. Asgore raised himself up with a groan, wobbling a bit. When he managed to get himself still, he spat out a bit of the blood from his mouth. “It seems I have my answer.” He said, his voice grim. “Very well, then. If it’s a battle you want, then it’s a battle you’ll get.” With that, he raised his trident at Garnet.

Garnet stopped dead in her tracks. For a second, Lucas thought that she was afraid of him, but why would she? She wasn’t afraid before.

The two of them stood still for a moment, staring at each other intently. Garnet didn’t make another move, and even though it should have made Lucas relived, it didn’t. What was she doing?

Lucas looked to the side. The goat woman was still creeping around the clearing. She had managed to place herself behind Garnet, but neither of the two fighters seemed to notice. Then, Lucas saw magical flames appear in the woman’s palms.

The instant she did that, the buzzing-mosquito sound Lucas had heard earlier rang through Lucas’s skull. Lucas slammed his hands to his head, letting out a groan of pain.

Lucas looked back up and the fighters and realized he made a huge mistake. Asgore immediately turned to look at him, and his face showed confusion and fear. He had heard him, and from the way that Garnet tilted her head, she had heard him too. At the same time, the goat woman pulled her hand back, preparing to throw the fire at Garnet…

Suddenly, without even turning her head to look at her, Garnet pointed her fisted gauntlet at the goat woman. With a burst of smoke and a deafening boom, Garnet fired the gauntlet like a rocket.

Lucas screamed as the gauntlet slammed into the woman’s chest. Lucas heard the wet crunching of bone as the goat woman was sent flying through the air and crashed into the trees with so much force that the bark cracked.

“TORI!!!!!” Asgore screamed. Lucas didn’t see him. He didn’t want to turn and see the look on the King’s face, but he could hear the utter horror in his voice. He looked back to see the crumpled form of the goat woman, Tori. She had fallen down to the ground, her hand on her chest. Blood was seeping from her mouth, running down her face and pooling into her robes and onto the ground.

Lucas’s stomach turned over backwards. His eyes blurred, and mouth tasted metallic. He did this. He had made too noise, and because of that, Garnet saw him, followed his gaze, and seen Tori. And now because that Tori was… She was…

A roar like thunder ripped Lucas from his panic. Lucas turned…only to see that Asgore had crossed the distance between him and Garnet in less than a second. Garnet was knocked upward, and Asgore slowed down just enough for Lucas to see that he had uppercut her. Then, Asgore’s formed blurred for a second, before appearing right behind Garnet and slamming his fist into her, sending her flying into the ground so hard that she made a crater shaped like her that was inches deep.

Lucas blinked. What just happened…? He looked at Asgore…and was shaken to his core by the sight.

There was no trace of the sweet goat man that Lucas had first met. His face was contorted into a snarl that showed his sharp fangs, and the welcoming warmth that had been in his eyes was gone, replaced with a searing, hateful glow.

A groan stole Lucas’s attention. It came from Garnet, who was on her hands and knees, struggling to get herself onto her feet.

Before she could rise, that horrible mosquito sound rang again through Lucas’s brain. Suddenly, bright blue flames surrounded Asgore on all sides. Lucas’s heart leapt to his throat, but then he saw that Asgore’s expression didn’t become fearful or surprised. If anything, he looked even more furious.

“You….” Asgore growled, his deep voice full of loathing. “Despicable…vile…WITCH!” As he suddenly shouted the last word, Asgore lashed out his free hand. Asgore gave bestial roar so loud that Lucas had no doubt that people could hear for miles around, and the flames around him launched themselves at Garnet.

Garnet barely had enough time to cover up her face with her gauntlets. The flames hit her, growing more intense as they did so. For a moment, Lucas couldn’t even see her as the Gem was surrounded by the blazing inferno. But when the flames died down, Garnet was still there. Other than the trails of smoke flowing from her body, she didn’t seem affected.

With a roar of frustration, Asgore spun his trident and pointed it at Garnet. The mosquito noise rang again, and the trident started to glow at the points. After a few seconds, a sapphire ball of fire formed at the end of the tips, and the sound was so overwhelming that Lucas starting seeing black spots in his vision. It hurt. Why did it hurt so much…?

Garnet tried to get up, but it was too late. The ball of fire swelled to a size that was bigger than Lucas, and Asgore launched it at Garnet with a thrust of his trident. There was a deafening explosion, and the shockwave was so strong that Lucas was knocked off his feet.

Lucas rubbed his head, and looked up to see the cloud of dust from the explosion. The pit in Lucas’s stomach swelled, to the point where he felt like he was carrying a watermelon in his stomach. He couldn’t see Garnet. That last attack…it must have blown her to pieces! Asgore, who had been so kind and gentle toward Lucas, had killed someone! True, Garnet had killed the sweet goat woman, and probably would have done the same to Asgore, but Lucas still hadn’t wanted her to die! No one deserves to die! No one…

Suddenly, a figure burst from the smoke cloud, with such speed that the cloud was dispersed. Asgore raised his trident just in time to block a strike, making a heavy clang ring through the clearing.

It was Garnet, who didn’t look hurt in the least. Lucas felt a flutter of relief, which was swiftly dashed when Garnet rammed her fists across Asgore’s face and body again and again in a rapid succession.

The barrage of blows was quickly stopped when Asgore snatched her fist with a growl. His eye was swollen and back, and his face was bleeding in several places, but he only looked even more ferocious.

Asgore slammed his forehead against Garnet’s face with such force it cracked her glasses. Garnet stumbled back with a cry, but the King didn’t give her a chance to rest. He drove his fist into Garnent’s stomach, knocking whatever breath she still had out of her body, before grabbing her face and leaping high into the air. Asgore roared again, spinning in midair as he did so, and hurled Garnet into the ground so fast Lucas could barely see her. Garnet made a deep pit as the force of the throw ground her into the earth, until her movement stopped completely.

Asgore landed back on the ground with a grunt, gripping his trident tightly as he did so. His face was still just as ferocious as it was before, and his right knuckle was dripping with blood. Lucas was utterly stunned. Asgore had been so gentle before. He didn’t look like he would harm a fly. And yet here he was, kicking around some other magical creature with so much aggression! Was this the same man he met at the sunflower field?

Amazingly, Garnet was able to get up, though she was breathing heavily and gripping her side in pain. She took a few more labored breaths, before raising her gauntlets again.

“Is that all you’ve got, Monster?” Garnet said, strangely calm despite her injuries. Asgore only responded with a snarl.

Garnet rushed at the King again, but this time, Asgore was ready for her. For a second his eyes flashed. It was so quick that Lucas almost thought he was seeing things, but he saw it, and from what he saw, his eyes had shone blue, then red, then blue, then red…

Then, Asgore…moved. It seemed like that one moment, Asgore was facing a charging Garnet, and then in another, he was behind her, with his spear lowered. Garnet staggered and fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Her cracked glasses fell, splitting down the middle and disappearing in a flash of light. Garnet managed to roll back onto her feet, but her posture was noticeably worse. She was clutching her chest, and there were deep cuts along her arms and legs, though curiously enough, there wasn’t any blood. 

But the scariest thing was Garnet’s three eyes. Lucas had hold back another scream and rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing her correctly, but there were indeed three eyes, two where they normally would be on a human, and an extra one in the middle of her forehead. The three eyes blinked, and for a second, Lucas could see that they were full of pain.

Asgore raised his trident at Garnet. Garnet wobbled, and lifted her gauntlets to her head. Lucas looked between Asgore, with all his bruises and cuts on his head, and Garnet, with all the cuts on her arms and legs, and he trembled. They were hurting each other. Really badly. And they were going to keep hurting each other. Lucas could see that in the way Asgore was growling, and the way that Garnet was glaring at the King with her three eyes. If they kept this up, they were going to kill each other! Why? Why were they going to kill each other for such a stupid reason? They couldn’t kill each other! No one deserved to die! They can’t!

Lucas had to do something. He was rooted on his feet and he was trembling to depths at his soul, but he had to do something! But what? What could he, a small child who didn’t know anything about anything, do against monsters like those two…?

“Stop…” Lucas tried to shout, but his voice only came out as a pitiful squeak. Neither Asgore nor Garnet heard him, and they charged at each other again. Garnet threw a punch, and Asgore swung his trident. The blows connected with a clang.

The moment that the two warriors clashed, the mosquito sound rang through Lucas’s yet again, and it was louder than ever before. Lucas’s vision rippled, and time seemed to slow down. It seemed like Asgore and Garnet were moving through quicksand. Suddenly, a burning pain seared through Lucas’s chest. It was like he had swallowed molten lava. Lucas gripped his stomach and curled around it. What was happening to him?

Lucas managed to force himself to look up, and saw that the two fighters were still at it. Each of them were preparing to throw another blow. Their faces were twisted into ferocious snarls, Asgore baring his fangs, trying to stab Garnet, Garnet glaring at with Asgore with her three eyes full of anger.

“Stop it…!” Lucas cried, a little louder this time. Despite the sheer amount of fear that was suffocating him, and the pain burning in his gut, he started to walk towards the two fighters. This had to stop! They weren’t bad people! They couldn’t kill each other! Especially if this happened because of him and Kumatora…

The burning in his chest grew, spreading out into his arms. Lucas almost bit his tongue. What was this feeling? It was so painful…and yet… Lucas felt stronger. It was like power spreading through his body, trying desperately to force its way out of his hands…

The fighters drew their weapons back once more, preparing for another strike. Lucas started to run. They were going to kill each other! Two more people were going die! And it was all because of him…

The power in his body swelled, now filling up his entire body so full of heat that Lucas felt like he was going to explode! The mosquito buzzing was clamoring now, far past the point of being bearable. What was happening to him! He had to stop them! Everything burned! His skull felt like it was going to split open! Lucas’s vision went blurry from tears! What was this feeling! They couldn’t die!

Asgore grabbed Garnet’s hand with his free hand. For the first time, Garnet looked frightened, as the King thrust his trident toward her chest…

“STOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

As Lucas screamed as loud as he could, the heat that had been filling his entire being burst from his arms. Suddenly, his senses were assaulted by so many sensations that he couldn’t keep track. Lucas’s vision was overwhelmed by a blinding rainbow of colors. There was an explosion of sound. The mosquito buzzing had quieted down, but there was a deafening boom that had overtaken it, and Lucas thought he heard Asgore and Garnet scream. Lucas body tingled all over, like somebody had struck him with lightning.

Then, just like that, it was over. The burst of color disappeared, leaving Lucas’s eye to adjust from the bright flash. The buzzing in his skull had left entirely, as had the pain in his body. Now, he just felt…empty and very, very numb. What…happened?

Lucas squinted, trying to force the blurriness and spots of black and white from his vision. Where were they…? Then, when his vison was back to normal, he saw Asgore. He laying on the ground completely still, with his trident having been knocked away from his grip somehow. Pieces of his armor had been ripped away, and his eyes were shut. Lucas couldn’t hear him breathing.

Lucas looked around, frantically looking for Garnet, but he couldn’t see her! What happened to her! What happened to Asgore! Wasn’t there anyone who could help?

Did he do this?

Realization hit Lucas like a cannon. He choked on a sob, and he felt hot tears start to flow. He did do this. He tried to desperately to think of a way that it wasn’t his fault, that he was incapable of causing this much harm, but the truth was staring him right in the face.

He did this. First the sweet goat woman had died because of his mistake. And now the King…and Garnet… They were… They were….

It was too much. The full weight of the memories that he didn’t have, of the few memories he didn’t have, and of all the harm that occurred because of him slammed onto at once. Something inside Lucas broke, and all he could think to do was curl into a ball and cry.

….

Steven really had to wonder how in the world the Crystal Gems were always able to save him just in the nick of time. Especially since today he was having the worst timing.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to hurry up. Undyne had did a great job making sure of that. She was fast! Even carrying Pearl across her shoulders, she ran like the wind, and Steven and Connie struggled desperately to keep up. Once, Undyne looked back at them, and for a second, Steven hoped that she would slow down. But Undyne only growled at them and yelled, “C’MON, YA FREAKIN PANSIES! THE KING’S IN DANGER, AND YOU’RE MAKING ME GO SLOW! KEEP UP!!!!!”

That was enough encouragement for Steven pick up the pace. He was a Crystal Gem, and here he was being beat in a foot race by some Monster. And besides, people’s lives were on the line. He had to hurry!

Steven could tell when they had gotten close when he felt the shock waves hit him again, much more intensely than before. It was like lightning had struck him right on the gemstone in his belly. Steven picked up the pace even more, running past Connie and right next to Undyne.

“Damn!” she shouted. “This Garnet must be one hell of a fighter! Asgore never uses this much magic!”

Steven didn’t respond. He was too busy praying that Garnet or the King hadn’t been hurt. He could _feel_ the amount of magic being thrown around, and if someone had gotten hit by a spell like that…

Eventually, Steven saw the entrance of a clearing up ahead. It was hard to make out because of the distance, but he could see two large humanoid shapes up ahead, and they looked like they were hitting each other.

“It’s them!” Steven shouted. They made it! Steven felt a burst of strength surge through him, and rushed ahead of Undyne.

 Soon, Steven was close enough to make out details. Garnet was on the ground, holding her chest. She looked hurt. Asgore was still standing, with his trident in his hands.

 Then, Garnet got up with a wobble, and raised her fists. Asgore raised his trident again, and they charged at each other.

_No! They’re fighting again! Have to stop ‘em! Have to stop ‘em! Have to stop ‘em…!_

Suddenly, Steven’s heart leapt to his throat. The boy, Lucas, was running toward the fighters! He was screaming, and he had the worst expression on his face. Was he trying to stop them? He couldn’t do that! He was too weak! If he got caught in the middle the fight…

As if to confirm his fear, Garnet and Asgore clanged their weapons together. They didn’t even notice Lucas! Steven was too far away!

 Suddenly, Asgore grabbed Garnet by the hand. Garnet, the calmest and most collected person Steven ever knew, looked panicked as Asgore’s trident fly its way toward her chest.

Just then, Steven felt the buzzing on his rose quartz gem again. But it was different somehow…. more intense. And it didn’t feel like it was coming from Asgore this time…

There was piercing scream, and Steven could barely make out the words. “STOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Was that Lucas…?

At this exact moment, an explosion of pink, turquoise, mint, and yellow burst from Lucas’s body. The cluster of lights launched toward Asgore and Garnet, and when they were hit, the lights exploded into…multicolored hexagons? There was a deafening boom, and Asgore and Garnet screamed as they were sent flying away from Lucas. The shockwave was so intense that Steven was pushed back, even though he was still some distance away.

Then, just as quickly as the lights came, they disappeared. Asgore crashed onto the ground, rolled onto his back, and then laid still. Bits of his shoulder and chest plates were ripped away, and blood was flowing from his mouth and forehead.

Garnet had it a little worse. As she was knocked through the air, she glowed with a white light. Then, as soon as she hit the ground, her glowing form split, revealing two bodies that were half her size. The bodies rolled a little, and then stayed still.

Steven heard footsteps behind. A familiar voice bellowed next to him. “WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?” Undyne yelled.

Steven couldn’t respond. Lucas, that little boy… He just downed the supposed King of all Monsters! And he just defused _Garnet!_ How? Garnet was the strongest, toughest person he ever knew, and yet this boy…

Lucas was standing up with his eyes closed and arms raised. He opened his eyes, blinked, and just stared at the clearing. He blinked again, and then he started to sob, swiping his head right and left, looking around desperately. Apparently, he didn’t see Steven or anyone else, and he curled into a ball, sobbing wretchedly.

Steven felt his heart suddenly gain a few pounds. What was he gonna do? His first instinct was to go check on his teammate, but Asgore looked really hurt, and he couldn’t just leave a boy crying…

Fortunately, he didn’t end up having to choose. Undyne dropped Pearl like a sack of potatoes and ran to Asgore, yelling “YOUR MAJESTY!”

Steven could practically hear her sigh of relief when Asgore groaned. He blinked, and then turned his head up to see his knight. “Undyne… you’re okay…?”

Undyne looked like she choked back a sob, and said, “I’m fine, Asgore! But you’re hurt!” She then looked around, seeming frantic. “Where’s Toriel?”

Asgore groaned again, and turned his head to the side. “The Gem… she attacked her. Knocked her back there… She’s hurt…but I still sense her presence… She’s alive…” Asgore then looked up and saw Lucas, crying. The boy hadn’t seemed to have heard anything that had just happened.

Asgore pressed his hand to the ground and pushed up. He got onto his knees before buckling slightly, moaning in pain.

“Asgore, don’t move! You’re hurt!” Undyne shouted.

“Don’t…worry about me…” the King groaned, then looked at Undyne “Toriel…find her… Heal her first…”

Undyne hesitated, then shouted, “WILL DO, YOUR MAJESTY!” She bounded off to edge of the clearing and started looking around.

Asgore groaned as he started to take slow, painful steps towards Lucas, clutching his chest as he did so. He stopped when he was right next to him, and squatted down, making himself level with the crying boy.

“Lucas…” he said, his voice gentle, but still quivering from pain. He seemed far less concerned about his injuries and more about the crying boy. “Lucas.” He said again, a little louder this time.

Lucas sobbed a little more, and looked up, his eyes red with tears. “You’re…you’re alive…” he said, almost like he couldn’t believe it. Then, his eyes looked over the King once, taking him in. “But…you’re hurt…”

Asgore smiled. It probably would have looked assuring if there wasn’t blood running from his mouth. “I’m fine, little one. I’ll live…”

“But…” Lucas sobbed, his eyes starting to water yet again. “I hurt you! And the woman! And you… you… you…” And with that, Lucas started crying again, his voice a loud wail.

Asgore wrapped his large arms around the boy, hugging him close to his furry chest. “It’ll be alright, little one. It’ll be alright…”

Steven couldn’t help but stare at them. The King had looked so fierce just a moment ago, yet here he was, comforting a child that he apparently had just met. It was more than a little jarring. Still… Steven couldn’t help but feel a little warm at the sight. It reminded him of the times when Steven was little, and his father would hold him whenever he got hurt…

His bit of nostalgia was interrupted when he heard groaning come from where Garnet had landed. He looked, and saw two figures stirring, trying to get up.

 _Ruby and Sapphire._ Without prompting, Steven ran to that area. “Ruby! Sapphire!” he shouted.

When he was right in front of them, the two Gems were still trying to get up. Steven blinked, doing his best to take in what he could, both for checking injuries and for seeing Ruby and Sapphire up close. It wasn’t often that Garnet split apart into her component Gems, so he rarely saw either of those two.

Ruby was much shorter than Garnet, barely taller than Steven himself, though she was quite stocky and muscular. She had blood red skin, red eyes, and dark red hair that was shaped like a cube, though it was compressed by a red headband. Just like last time, Ruby was dressed in a black armless shirt, black shorts, and red boots.

Ruby rubbed her forehead with a groan and turned toward her partner, gripping her arm. “Sapphire!” she cried. “Are you alright?”

Sapphire grunted. She wasn’t any taller than Ruby, and she was much skinner. Her skin was a dark blue, and she had long puffy cyan hair that reached past her waist. Her eyes (or eye as Steven knew) was covered by a bang of hair, so Steven couldn’t see what they looked like. To match her look, she was dressed in a blue dress, with white puffs at the shoulders and white opera gloves.

“I’m fine…” Sapphire said.

Ruby sighed in relief, and then growled. “All right!” she screamed, turning towards Asgore. “Who has the nerve to…!”

“Guys!” Steven shouted, placing himself in front of Ruby and Sapphire. “Stop it!”

“Steven!” Ruby and Sapphire shouted at the same time.

“What are you doing here?” Ruby shouted. “You were supposed to take the humans to safety!”

“Guys, no one’s in danger!” Connie shouted, running up next to Steven. “The only ones putting anyone in danger are you!”

 “WHAT?” Ruby screamed. “We’re saving them from the Monsters!”

“Guys, the Monsters aren’t trying to hurt humans!” Steven cried desperately. “They were just trying to protect their kids! They just want to live in peace!”

“WHAT?” Ruby cried again. “BUT…!” Her eyes went to Asgore’s direction and she stopped, taken aback by the sight of the King of Monsters holding a crying human child.

“Ruby…” Sapphire said, using Ruby’s shoulder to stand herself up. She too seemed to be staring at Asgore, as if confused by what she saw.

“Saph?” Ruby asked, turning to the other Gem. “Are you seeing this...?”

“Hmmm….” Sapphire replied.

A voice called from the other side of the clearing. “Asgore!”

Steven turned his head and, to his relief, the child named Frisk was running to them. Behind them was Amethyst, who looked more worried than Steven had ever seen her, Kumatora, who looked as angry as ever, and the small skeleton, who was carrying the tall skeleton over his shoulder. Steven cringed when he saw a huge crack in the tall skeleton’s skull. Amethyst must have not been gentle with him.

Amethyst went ahead of the skeletons and rushed to Steven, shouting “Guys!” When they were right in from of them, Amethyst said “You’re alright! Thank…” Then she noticed Ruby and Sapphire and her eyes widened. “What the heck happened? Why did you two defuse? What did they…?”

“We’re fine, Amethyst.” Sapphire replied. “Go check on Pearl. And whatever you do, don’t attack the Monsters. It seems that things weren’t as we thought…”

Amethyst looked between Ruby and Sapphire, and then nodded. She gave a glance in the Monster’s direction and then ran to Pearl, who was just starting to get off the ground some distance away.

Frisk and the skeletons paid them no heed. They were far more occupied with the King, who was still cradling Lucas. The boy had quieted down, although he still gave a little hiccup now and then.

Kumatora grabbed Steven on the shoulder. “What the hell happened here?” she demanded.

“That’s a good question.” Connie replied. “And honestly, your guess is as good as ours.”

For once, Kumatora didn’t have snide anything to say, and simply stared at Lucas. The fire in her eyes had faded, replaced by something that Steven didn’t quite know how to identify. Wistfulness? Longing? What was she thinking?

Steven heard Frisk speak again. “Asgore… where’s mom? She went after you when we separated? Is she….?”

“FOUND HER!” Undyne bellowed from the edge of the clearing. There was a rustle of branches, and Undyne came out from the bushes. Leaning on her shoulders was the goat woman, Toriel, who was groaning in pain, blood caking on the fur on her mouth and her robes.

Frisk ran up to her, shouting “Mom!” Steven couldn’t see Frisk’s face, but he (she?) sounded horrified.

“My child…” the Toriel groaned, eyes fluttering open. “You’re…unharmed?”

“Yes mom!” Frisk sobbed. “But you’re not!”

“I’ll live…” Toriel replied, a sliver of a smile appearing on her face. “What? Did you think that unrefined Gem magic would kill _me_?”

“Mom…” Frisk said, gripping Toriel’s robe.

Suddenly, a flash of light shone behind Steven. There was loud humming sound. Immediately, Steven turned his head to look, but it was too late. The light disappeared, along with Ruby and Sapphire, leaving the familiar form of Garnet in their place.

Kumatora leapt back. “What the hell?” she screamed. “Weren’t there two of you?”

Garnet responded by adjusting the glasses on her face. At the same time, Amethyst had come back to her, with Pearl supporting herself by placing her hand on her shoulder.

Steven looked back at the Monsters. The strange creatures were staring at them tensely, as if waiting for the Gems’ next move.

This was their chance. They couldn’t screw it up this time.

Steven looked up at Garnet, who looked back down at him behind her glasses. A wordless understanding passed between them, and they both nodded. Then, Garnet walked toward the Monsters.

Steven could see the Monsters tense as Garnet walked toward them. Undyne’s growled, and her poster lowered to a defense stance. Toriel’s face tightened, pulled herself off of Undyne, and tried to get herself up right, clutching her forearm as she did so. The small skeleton took a step back, seeming to pull the tall skeleton closer to him. Asgore remained on the ground, but he hugged Lucas closer to him as he sat up straight. Frisk ran next to Asgore, getting in between him and the Gem Fusion.

Then, Garnet stopped. She seemed to stare at the Monsters, though Steven couldn’t read her face behind those glasses. The Monsters returned the stare, not moving an inch or even giving a breath.

Garnet spoke. “That boy…” she said, tilting her head to look at Lucas. He had stopped crying completely and was looking at Garnet from Asgore’s arms, his bloodshot eyes full of fear. “Is he yours?”

“Yes.” Asgore replied. “He is.”

“The second human today that I’ve met with magic.” She said, wonder creeping into her voice. “And powerful magic too… He actually hurt us...” Then, she turned her head to Frisk, who was clutching the King’s arm. “And the girl…is she also with you?”

Frisk took a step forward. “Yes I am!” she said, nearly shouting. She took breath before continuing. “I know you haven’t seen creatures like them, but these Monsters are my family. They’ve treated me with such kindness when I came into their world, and I can tell you that they don’t want to hurt anyone.”

There was tension in the air, as if everyone in the clearing was holding their breath.

Then, to Steven’s surprise, Garnet lifted her left hand to her face and dispelled her glasses. Steven took a few steps forward, and he was able to see Garnet’s expression. She might have had an extra eye on her forehead, but he could recognize the look of remorse on her face. He had seen that look given to him a few times in his life.

“It seems that there’s been a misunderstanding on our part.” Garnet said. “Perhaps, if you’re willing, we could sort this out.”

Asgore seemed taken aback, and he looked the other’s, as if asking if they were indeed seeing what he was seeing. In response, Toriel gripped his shoulder and nodded.

“You…” Asgore said. “You wish to make peace?”

“Yes.” Garnet said simply.

Steven, with Connie at his side, walked next to Garnet. Asgore blinked at them, as if noticing they were there. “Children…” he said. “You’re still here with them? With the Gems?”

“Yeah.” Steven said. “Just like you’re her family, they’re mine.”

Asgore looked down, as if thinking. Then, he gave a heavy sigh of relief. “Very well. For the children’s sake, let’s cease this battle.” 

A bubble of joy swelled in Steven’s chest, and he cheered. “Woo-hoo!” They’ve done it! They stopped the fighting and the Monsters weren’t going to hurt anyone! An entire race of magical beings was going to be their friends, and it was all just one talk away!

In the back of his mind, Steven was aware of everyone staring at him, but he didn’t care. He was way too happy. He couldn’t stop himself from talking to the Monsters. “I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I promise things will be different! Here! Let’s start over!” He turned to Frisk, who was the closest to him at the moment, and held out his hand. “Hi! I’m Steven! Steven Quartz Universe! What’s your name?”

Frisk flinched back, surprised by this action, and blinked unsurely. Then, she slowly raised her hand and took his, shaking it with a small smile. “I’m Frisk Dreemurr. It’s nice to meet you, Steven.”

…

Frisk took a moment to thank whoever was up there in the sky that everyone was alive. Not only that, the Crystal Gems, the protectors of humanity, had calmed down, and they actually wanted talk to the Monsters peacefully! Sure, they and the Monsters had knocked the crap out of each other, but at no one was dead!  They could sort things out!

After the boy named Steven shook her hand, there was a moment of awkward silence. Then, a thought occurred to Frisk. “Uhhh…. We should probably patch up everyone before we start talking.”

Steven blinked, and when he looked at the Monsters, he got the most appalled look on his face. “Oh my gosh! Your parents! And that skeleton’s head has a crack on it!" He turned the Crystal Gems. “Geez guys! What did you do to them?”

Amethyst seemed to try to look every other direction expect in Steven’s. Unfortunately, a certain pink haired girl was all too eager to enlighten Steven. “Amethyst blew the skeleton up!” Kumatora piped, pointing at Amethyst as she did so.

“Nark!” Amethyst shouted. She tried to punch the girl on the back of the head, but Kumatora ducked under the blow and laughed as she ran toward Frisk and the Monsters.

 Steven shook his head. “Guys…” he groaned.

 Connie sighed. “Okay then. Do you have any medical supplies?”

 “No.” Toriel said. “We didn’t think we’d need it. Besides we usually don’t heal that way. We either eat Monster food or use healing magic.”

 “Healing magic…” Steven whispered. There was a sort of gleam in his eyes, and then he shouted, “I can help you!”

  Toriel blinked, as she placed her hands on her chest. The warm glow appeared in her hands. “You? Child, we appreciate your concern, but you’re only human. You can’t perform magic.”

  “But I can!” Steven insisted. He turned to Sans, who was laying Papyrus softly on the ground. “Here.” He said, walking to Papyrus and crouching at his level. “Let me help.”

  Sans seemed to hesitate. “kid, i think you should leave this stuff to us. I think us monsters would know what we’re doing.”

  Steven shook his head. “But I can help. I’m a Crystal Gem.” To Frisk’s shock, Steven pulled up his shirt, and in the place of his belly button, was a round pink crystal.

  Sans stopped dead. Frisk’s train of thought skipped a track before landing back on the railing. 

  Asgore said voiced what everyone was probably thinking. “You’re a Gem? But… your soul… it feels human…”

  Steven turned to look at the King. For once, the boy looked uneasy. “Well, I guess you say I’m half Gem. My dad was a human, but my mom was a Gem.”

  Toriel took a step forward, staring at the boy in wonder, her crimson eyes glowing faintly. “Yes…” she said to Steven. “I see it. Your soul… there are two different colors.”

  "What?” Asgore asked.

  “Look closely.”  Toriel said. “There are two layers of color. The first layer looks like a typical human soul…but when you look closer…”

  Asgore’s blue eyes started to glow faintly. “Yes… I see it.”

  Sans’s eye sockets went blank for a moment, and before Frisk could feel the usual panic, his eye lights came back. “Huh…”

  Steven looked at them questioningly. “You… you can see my soul?”

 “Yeah” Sans replied. “it’s human…but there’s somethin else there that ain’t human.” Sans paused for a moment, and then sighed. “all right kid. i’ll trust ya for now. if ya think you can help…”

 Steven nodded, and looked down at Papyrus, who was starting to groan. “SANS….” He went.

“hang on, Paps.” Sans said, rubbing his brother’s arm softly. “we’ll get ya fixed in a jiffy.” He looked up at Steven. “your move, kid.”

Steven looked down at Papyrus sympathetically, and said “Sorry. This is gonna be a little gross.” Then, to Frisk’s disgust, he spat in his hand and started rubbing the saliva on the crack on Papyrus’s head!

Sans cringed in response. “uhh… I don’t think human fluids are what my brother needs…”

“Give it a minute.” Steven said, as he finished rubbing the crack. Frisk and the rest of the Monsters stared at the crack, which was now shiny with the spit. Frisk was so confused. Just what was that supposed to do?

 Suddenly, the spit stared to glitter with pink and blue. Frisk could hear the Monsters gasp silently as the crack started to grow smaller, as if the bone was being sowed back together by invisible stitches. After a few seconds, the crack disappeared entirely, as if it was never there.

 Papyrus’s eye sockets fluttered open. He turned his head and saw his brother. “SANS?” his voice rang out, now as loud as it normally was.

A wide grin formed on Sans face. “heh. Ya know paps? It’s weird bein the one to see ya wake up. next time, don’t fall asleep on me, okay?”

“WHAT ARE TALKING ABOUT?” Papyrus asked, clearly confused. He blinked, and then turned his eyes to look at Steven.

“OH!” Papyrus shouted, and, like he was never hurt, he leaped onto his feet. “HELLO, TINY HUMAN! WHAT’S YOUR NAME?”

“I’m Steven!” Steven replied, almost shouting in his excitement. “You were knocked out, so I healed you.” Frisk blinked. Were there…stars in the boy’s eyes?

 “I WAS KNOCKED OUT?” Papyrus asked. He looked at Sans, who nodded in conformation. “WELL IN THAT CASE, THANK YOU TINY, MAGICAL HUMAN!”

 “That was impressive.” Frisk said. It really was. Frisk hadn’t seen any one besides Toriel heal someone. From what Toriel had told her, healing magic was one of the hardest forms to master, and for someone like as Steven to be able to use it was quite a feat.  Even if Steven was apparently half magic…

Steven turned to Asgore and Toriel. “See? I healed him. Here, let me…” He started to lick his hand.

“NO!” Toriel suddenly shouted, making everyone around her flinch. When she saw the confused on Steven’s face, she cleared her throat. “I appreciate the thought, but… there are cleaner ways to heal others.” As if to prove her point, the glow on her hands disappeared, and the blood flowing from Toriel’s chest stopped. She sighed as she stood up straight, and stretched her body around a bit.

 “Oh.” Steven said, his face falling in disappointment. Frisk couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. Steven had just met the Monsters, and despite the fact they might’ve have been a threat, or the fact they had hurt his family, he hadn’t stopped trying to be friends with them. He was just trying to help. Though…now that she thought of it, his way of healing was pretty gross…

 “Asgore…” Toriel said, turning to the King. “You’re hurt.”

 Lucas, who was still in Asgore’s arms, made a sort of squeak or moan. Asgore looked down at him, and smiled as he gently put the boy down. “Are you alright, little one?”

“I’m fine.” Lucas said. He was looking down with a sullen expression. “But...you’re not.”

Asgore gave tried to laugh, but Frisk could see him clutching his side as he did so. “I’m fine, Lucas. Nothing a little healing can’t handle.”

“But I’m the one that hurt you…” Lucas said, his body shrinking into itself.

Toriel blinked. “What?”

Asgore laughed again before anyone could answer “That wasn’t your fault. You just wanted us to stop fighting. You weren’t trying to hurt anyone.”

“But I still did it.” Lucas responded, looking incredibly guilty. The boy lifted his hand and placed it on Asgore’s neck, which was still bloody and bruised, much like his face. “And you didn’t deserve that…”

Suddenly, Frisk heard a familiar _prrriiinnngggg_ sound. Then, without warning, a bright green glow shined from Lucas’s hand and onto Asgore. The bruises started to fade, and the cuts on Asgore’s face started to close.

 Everyone was taken aback by the wondrous sight. Asgore flinched slightly, his eyes widening, and Toriel gasped, taking a step back, her hands moving to cover her mouth.

“Whhhaattttttttttttttt?” Steven went.

Lucas actually flinched back. Frisk saw that his blue eyes were glowing faintly, and they were wide in shock. He was holding his breath. It seemed that he was shocked that this happening, much like everyone ease.

The glow shined for a few more seconds, and then it faded. There were still bruises on Asgore’s face, but the larger ones had faded significantly, and the smaller bruises and cuts had vanished completely.

“Woah.” Undyne said, as Lucas drew his hand back. The blond kept staring at it, as if unable to believe what just happened.

“well.” Sans said. “that’s something you don’t see every day.”

“I’LL SAY! ANOTHER HUMAN USING MAGIC!”

Lucas looked around at the people staring at him. “I…”

“That was amazing!” Steven shouted. Without warning, he rushed in front of Lucas, with a huge grin on his face and stars in his eyes. Lucas stumbled back a few steps, but Steven didn’t seem to notice. “You’re a healer! Like me!”

“I…” Lucas tried to speak, shrinking back with a fearful look on his face. He seemed very intimidated by Steven’s insist openness.

“You healed him!” Steven cheered. Frisk almost thought that the boy was going to pee his pants in excitement. “You used magic and healed him! How did you do that?”

“I don’t…” Lucas stammered. “I don’t know. I just… did it.”

“Why does that sound familiar?”

Frisk turned her head to the side, and there, standing a few feet from Lucas with her arms crossed, was Kumatora. There was stern look in her eyes.

Lucas flinched, taking a few steps back, toward Asgore and Toriel. “Kumatora…” he whispered.

To Frisk’s surprise, Kumatora’s face softened. “Relax, Lucas. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“You’re… not?” Lucas asked.

Kumatora nodded, and then sighed. There was a sad look in her face. “You really don’t remember anything, do you?”

Lucas blinked. “It’s…hard to say. When I saw you, your name just…came to me. I remembered you, and that we were friends. We spent a lot of time together.”

“But you don’t remember anything else?” Kumatora questioned.

Lucas frowned. “No. I’m sorry.”

Kumatora went closer to Lucas. Asgore and Toriel tensed, but Kumatora didn’t do anything aggressive. Instead, she placed her hand on Lucas’s shoulder.

“Don’t apologize, Lucas.” Kumatora said, with surprising gentleness. “I don’t remember anything else, either.”

“You don’t?” Steven asked,

Kumatora nodded. “I just got feelings and some images. When I saw Lucas, I just _felt_ that I knew him. I saw us traveling together, fighting together…” Kumatora smiled. “And learning…” She paused, as if looking for the right word. “Magic” she finished.

“Hmm….” Toriel hummed, looking down in thought. “So, you two don’t have any memories, but you know that you know each other…” Toriel looked up the children. “If the two of you were close, then perhaps some connection between your souls was the reason that you recognized each other. Your _minds_ might not have any memories, but your _souls_ remember each other.”

Kumatora stared at her. “That sounds like a load of crap.”

“Said the girl who is surrounded by magical beings.” Connie replied.

Kumatora turned to her and opened her mouth to snark back at her, but Asgore interrupted her. “I wouldn’t say that.” Asgore said. “Souls are fickle things. Even after we Monsters studied them for thousands of years, we still don’t know how they work, or what their limitations are. If the bond between the two of you children was indeed strong, I wouldn’t be surprised that your souls could carry on the memories of your friendship.”

Frisk couldn’t help but contemplate that statement. What Asgore and Toriel just said really seemed like something out of a fairy tale… but Frisk had seen many fantastic things in the company of the Monsters. She, more than anyone, knew the power of a human soul, and just what wondrous and terrible things could happen when someone used that power. A bond between two people, that was so strong it could survive memory loss… after all Frisk had seen, that seemed like the least that a pair of souls could do.

Kumatora seemed wistful at Asgore’s comment, as if caught up in a day dream. Then she blinked, and shook her head. “What I’m trying to say is I’m sorry for hitting you, Lucas. You didn’t deserve that.”

Lucas blinked, and then, for the first time since Frisk had seen him, Lucas genuinely smiled. It wasn’t like the tiny ones he had given in those brief moments that he was humored while he was panicking. It was a complete happy, ear to ear smile. “It’s okay, Kumatora. I forgive you. After all, we’re friends, right?”

Kumatora smiled back. “Right.” She said.

The two looked at each other for moment, and then Toriel coughed into her hand. “Children, I’m glad that you remember each other, but…. I need to finish healing Asgore.” She stepped toward Asgore and gently placed her hand on his face. Asgore winced a bit as she inspected his face.

“Huh…” Toriel grunted. She turned his head towards Lucas and smiled. “You seemed to have healed most of his major injuries. Now, Asgore just needs to put his armor back on and we’ll be on our way.”

….

They went back to the base of Mt. Ebott. The walk back was rather quiet, which didn’t surprise Frisk. The Monsters and the Crystal Gems had just spent the last twenty minutes or so beating the crap out each other, so no one really felt like making friendly conservation.

No one except for Steven that is. The boy just couldn’t seem to keep still, and he was all too eager try and get friendly with the Monsters. Frisk didn’t mind. After all that had happened, they needed someone to try to break the ice between the two sides.

“You’re really strong!” Steven said to Undyne. “I’ve never seen anyone aside from us Gems form weapons! And you made so many spears from so far away!”

Undyne laughed. “Shucks kid! Keep that up and you’re gonna make me blush!”

“I can make spears too…” Pearl muttered.

Undyne laughed again. “What’s wrong, string bean? Your ass still sore from how hard I kicked it?”

Pearl got defensive. “No! I-i-I’m merely stating a fact! And besides, I had you right where I wanted you!”

“On the ground with my foot in your stomach and my spear aimmin’ at ya?”

Pearl didn’t respond, blushing blue as Undyne laughed boisterously. Frisk didn’t know what they were talking about, but it sounded like Undyne hadn’t been gentle.

“DON’T FEEL BAD, SKINNY LADY!” Papyrus said. “UNDYNE’S THE CAPTIAN OF THE ROYAL GUARD! THERE AREN’T MANY WHO COULD DEFEAT HER!”

“And besides Pearl” Amethyst chimed in. “No matter bad you did; you couldn’t have been much worse than Jack Skellington over here.” She pointed her thumb in Papyrus’s direction as she said this.

Frisk winced. Did she have to take that cheap shot? Papyrus hadn’t even wanted to fight her.

Papyrus’s grin faltered slightly. “I FOUGHT VALIANTLY! BESIDES, I HADN’T WANTED TO FIGHT YOU. IF I HAD, YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT…”

“Really?” Amethyst laughed. “I thought ya just sucked.”

Frisk saw Sans’s grin get a little tighter, as if he was forcing it to stay.  “i don’t know, amethyst. I don’t think he did that bad.”

“You kidding?” Amethyst replied, tilting her head back to look at the skeleton brothers. “I destroyed him!”

Frisk sighed. Why did Amethyst have keep talking about that? She was only making the Sans and Papyrus upset.

Fortunately, one of the other spectators of the fight decided to intervene. “Amethyst, remind me again.” Kumatora chimed. “Who was it that had to save your ass when ya pissed off Fatty Bones?”

Amethyst posture sagged at that. Her eyes wandered, as if trying not look at anything else besides Kumatora. “You…I guess. My memories a little fuzzy…”

“Oh! You mean like mine?” Kumatora replied way too sweetly. “Poor baby!”

Undyne looked back at them. “Wait… If Papyrus knocked out, why did Pinky have to save Purple over there?”

“Fatty Bones have her a wallop.” Kumatora replied. “Used some sort of psychokinesis, or something.”

“You mean blue magic?” Undyne asked. “Huh. Didn’t know ya had that in ya, Sans.”

“it was nothing.” Sans replied with a shrug. “spur of the moment I guess.”

“NO NEED TO BE MODEST, BROTHER!” Papyrus said, giving Sans a pat on the back. “YOU DID GREAT! DO YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ACTUALLY PUT SOME EFFORT INTO SOMETHING?”

“well, if I’m takin that in relation to what happened today, when I put effort into something, then people get hurt and I get blasted by cold winds.” Sans replied snidely. “therefore, for the benefit of everyone around me and myself, I should not put any effort into anything.”

“SANS…” Papyrus groaned. “I DON’T UNDERSTAND. IF YOU JUST TRIED, YOU COULD BE AS GREAT AS ME. BUT INSTEAD OF APPLYING THAT POTANTIAL INTO SOMETHING MEANINGFUL, YOU WASTE ALL YOUR EFFORT ON…”

“making a certain someone’s teeth rattle?” Sans asked. “until he’s feeling sick to the _bone?_ ”

“MAKING TERRIBLE PUNS!” Papyrus shouted.

“Children.” Toriel deadpanned, though Frisk could see the small smile on her face.

Sans snorted. “c’mon tori. you love it.”

Toriel put her hand on her mouth, but Frisk could still hear the giggles. “You still don’t act your age.”

 “And just what is your age, Fatty Bones?” Kumatora asked.

“older than yours, and that’s all that matters.” Sans replied.

Amethyst tilted his head back at Sans. “I crawled out of the ground 6000 years ago.”

Frisk stopped for a second. “What?” she asked.

“Yeah. Just hit my 6000th year this year.” Amethyst said. Then, she shifted her eyes down, as if think. “Or was that one hundred years back?”

Kumatora looked dumbfounded. “But…you’re a teenager….”

“We Gems don’t age like you humans do.” Pearl clarified. “We’re born fully grown and then we stay like that. As long as our gem stones remain intact, we’ll keep living.”

Pearl sounded a little smug as she said that, but Kumatora didn’t seem to notice. “How old are you?”

Pearl put her finger on her chin, as if thinking. “In human years? Hard to say. Me and Garnet have been on this planet for at least 6000 years. And we were already pretty old when we first got here….”

“Damn.” Kumatora said. “Hope I look as good as you when I’m that old.”

Pearl chuckled. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that! You humans are lucky if you get live for eighty years! By the time you get to my age, your corpse will have long since rotted away into the ground!”

“Wow.” Kumatora deadpanned. “Thanks for that lovely image.”

“Any time.” Pearl replied, without a trace of irony in her voice.

Frisk blinked in wonder. From what she heard, the Crystal Gems had been protecting Earth for a long time, but she never knew that they had been on Earth for thousands of years. In hindsight, it wasn’t really that surprising, given their magical nature, but Frisk had to wonder just what sort of lives that these Gems had lived if it went on for thousands of years. They had to have seen history unfold before their very eyes, events that came before prerecorded history. What sort of stories did they have? And if the Monsters were around for thousands of years, and were around when the Gems attacked the Earth…then just how old were her new parents?

Amethyst’s voice interrupted Frisk’s train of thought. “Don’t mind her.” She said. “Pearl has a little problem with the concept of tact.”

Pearl scoffed. “This coming from the Gem who just this morning kept interrogating a human child with amnesia?”

“Apparently yes.” Kumatora said. “Though from what I’ve seen of you two, you could _both_ work on your tact.”

“ _Excuse me_?” Undyne asked. The fish Monster’s voice raised the pitch of her voice, trying to make it sound like a child’s. “‘BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT! YOU ARE FULL OF BULLSHIT!’”

 Kumatora’s face went as red as Undyne’s hair. “Shut up! I said I was sorry!”

 “Well honey, your little outburst nearly got everyone killed!” Undyne growled.

 “I said I was sorry! You were the one who punched me across a clearing!”

 “We were threatening Lucas!”

 “You’re a strong Monster! You could have stopped me in some other way! Because you hit me, the Gems thought you Monsters were hostile!”

“Well… the Gems were the ones who shot first and asked questions later!”

“Wait, what?” Pearl cried.

“ _Excuse me_?” Amethyst growled. “If you saw a huge hulking Monster punch a human, what would you have done?”

“Probably asked questions!” Undyne replied. To her credit, she probably would have, though for some reason, Frisk didn’t imagine that being the case if the species were reversed.

“Didn’t you see us talking beforehand?” Frisk asked.

“That’s right!” Kumatora asked. “Where the hell were you guys? I thought you were following us!”

“You were the one who decided to take off.” Garnet said.

“Oh, like that would matter.” Kumatora snorted. “From what I’ve seen, you Gems are much stronger than us humans, so it should have been no trouble for you to keep up with a kid! So where the hell were you?”

“Amethyst had a little accident that slowed us down.”

“Garnet!” Amethyst cried.

“Ohhhh…this I gotta hear.” Undyne said, her sharp teeth grinning in mischief.

“Our dear little Amethyst, instead of running on her own two feet like us normal Gems, decided to use her rolling attack to try to catch up with the children.” Pearl clarified, much to Amethyst’s visible dismay. “However, she failed to remember _that she can barely see anything while she is rolling!_ As a result, she rushed far past the children and knocked down several trees, before crashing into a stop at a boulder. Thanks to that little excursion, we lost five minutes on the children, which led to us arriving when we did.”

 “Amethyst…why…?” Steven cried.

“Steven, you keep telling us how we forget to use our powers!” Amethyst replied. “So, I thought I’d use one of my powers! Besides, Pearl was the one that just _had_ to spend forever checking my gem to ‘make sure it wasn’t cracked’.”

“Well if you were more careful, we wouldn’t have been late!” Pearl retorted.

“I think it’s safe to say that everyone kind of messed up here.” Frisk said. She didn’t them to fight anymore. After all, they had to make negotiations soon, and it probably wouldn’t be good if everyone was mad at each other.

“Yep.” Kumatora replied. “We’re all idiots.”

A moment later, they arrived at the camp that the Monsters had set up.

“somebody help me.” Sans said. “I’m getting a serious case of deja-vu.”

“You’re telling me…” Frisk replied. This was the third time today they had gone back to mountain that the Monsters were sealed under. “Weren’t we trying to go _away_ from the mountain?”

“It seems life had other ideas.” Toriel said.  
“We can’t always predict the future.” Garnet said. Then, for some reason, she smiled slightly, and her glasses flashed with the light reflecting off them. “Well, most of us can’t anyway.”

Frisk noticed that Pearl and Amethyst were smiling at that statement, and Steven and Connie seemed to be covering their mouths, failing to contain their little giggles.

This did not escape Toriel’s notice. “Is there a joke that we aren’t in on?”

“You could say that.” Garnet said.  

“aww, c’mon.” Sans said, and Frisk could see the pun coming from the grin on his face. “don’t _ru-be like that.”_

“Umm…what?” Pearl asked, as Papyrus and Undyne groaned.

Steven however, laughed at the pun. “I get it!” Frisk and Toriel chuckled at the pun as well.

Sans looked at Garnet, who had merely turned to look at Sans with a stern look. “ah, c’mon. don’t get that _sapphire_ look in your eyes.”

“SANS!” Papyrus cried, as the rest of the Gems aside from Steven groaned with Undyne. Evem Garnet pinched the bridge of her nose at the pun. “QUIT EMBARRESSING US IN FRONT OF OUR NEW FRIENDS!”

“what’s wrong, paps? you a bit _la-pissed?”_

“THAT’S IT! YOU’RE GOING TO TIME OUT!” Papyrus cried over the laughter of Toriel and Frisk. With that, he grabbed Sans, slung him over his shoulders, and started to walk off.

“wait, paps. that’s only a _quartz-er_ of the puns I have.” Sans said as he was carried off.

 Frisk was about to stop him when Steven decided to chime in. “What’s wrong? That’s didn’t tickle your funny bone?”

 Papyrus stopped in his tracks. Frisk was able to see Sans, who’s face stilled for a bit, as if surprised.

“NOOOO….” Papyrus drawled, almost growling the word.

“What? I just thought a guy like you would be a bit more _humerous than that.”_ Steven said, not aware that Sans used the same puns earlier that day.

“NOOOOOOOOOO…!!!!!” Papyrus growled, louder this time. The grin on Sans’s face grew wider, and his eyes glowed brighter in the usual that they did when he was amused.

“wow kid.” Sans said. “ya got quite the _punny bone_ in ya, huh?”

“Yep!” Steven replied cheerfully, stars in his eyes. “And I got a _skele-ton_ more where that came from!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Papyrus screamed. He dropped Sans, and then curled into a ball on the ground, rocking back and forth like he was crying.

Sans walked up to Steven like he didn’t even notice Papyrus with a huge grin on his face. “kid…” he said, raising his hand to the boy. “let this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Steven took the skeleton’s hand eagerly and shock it. “Okay! Thanks!”

Lucas didn’t seem so amused. He walked toward Papyrus, looking concerned. “Are…you okay?” he asked, tapping on Papyrus’s shoulder.

“I’M IN HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!” the skeleton cried. “THERE’S THREE OF THEM NOW!!!!!!!!!!”

“I think you broke him.” Kumatora said.

“Anyway….” Garnet said, ignoring the crying skeleton. “Humor aside…let’s start the negotiations.”

Frisk felt the air in the camp get a little tenser. Even Papyrus quieted down as he heard what was said. Frisk went over to Toriel and gripped her hand. Toriel looked down Frisk, smiled for a moment, and then looked at Garnet. “Very well.” Toriel said. “Where shall we start?”

 “I think having some questions answered would be great.” Asgore said.

 “Okay then.” Garnet said, and motioned with her hand. “Ask away.”

 “Just who are you people?” Asgore asked. “You’re Gems…and yet…you have humans with you, and you stopped attacking us when you knew we didn’t want to harm humans. The Gems we knew would never do such a thing. So why…?”

 “Because we’re the Crystal Gems!” Steven piped from behind Garnet, as if that explained everything.

 Asgore looked down at the boy. “The Crystal…Gems?”

 “Yeah!” Steven said. “It’s like… wait, hold on.” Steven cough into his hand, cleared his throat, and then, to Frisk’s surprise, he started to sing.

 

_If you're evil, and you're on the rise_

_You can count on the four of us taking you down_

_'Cause we're good and evil never beats us_

_We'll win the fight and then go out for pizzas_

It was entirely random, and there probably a million ways that Steven could have explained who they were without the song. Still, Steven’s excitement and energy was infectious, and Frisk couldn’t help but clap along when Steven started clapping the beat. She saw the other three Gems and Connie clap along, though she also saw Pearl looking upward, her cheeks blushing blue. Steven didn’t seem to notice, and he kept singing, his voice getting louder and more passionate.

 

_We are the Crystal Gems_

_We'll always save the day_

_And if you think we can't_

_We'll always find a way_

_That's why the people of this world believe in_

_Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl and Steven!_

With that, Steven closed his eyes and the song was over. He opened his and looked around at the Monsters, all whom were staring at him with puzzled expressions.

Except for Papyrus, who was clapping and cheering. “WOWIE, TINY HUMAN! YOU HAVE A GREAT VOICE!” Papyrus looked at the rest of his group, and the rest of the Monsters started clapping awkwardly. Steven smiled, stars forming in his eyes again, and then bowed a couple times.

“That was…nice.” Asgore said. “Though I’m sorry to say I still have a few questions.”

“You’re going to ask why Gems are protecting the Earth when they were trying to harvest its resources and destroy all organic life before.” Garnet stated.

Asgore blinked. “Yes.” He said.

Frisk clinched her fist. She knew that the Gems were from another planet or something, but…harvesting the Earth? Destroying life? Was there more to the story than what she heard? “I’m sorry.” Frisk said softly, causing Garnet to look her. “But… I don’t know what you’re saying. What were the Gems before trying to do?” Frisk looked at Asgore and Toriel. “Is that why you two were afraid of them before?”

Frisk saw Toriel and Asgore tense, and they looked at each other grimly. Despite being divorced for such a long time, the two were still uncannily good at communicating with only looks. They turned their gaze to the Gems, and Frisk saw Pearl looking down, as if ashamed of something, and Garnet staring at the goat Monsters with a knowing look. Amethyst had her back turned from the group entirely. And Steven…for the first time that Frisk had seen him, the smile was completely gone from his face, leaving a grim frown.

“Listen…” Pearl began, looking at Frisk, and then at Toriel and Asgore, as if asking for approval. They nodded, and they continued. “You know that we Crystal Gems have protected the Earth for a long time. But…there are other Gems besides us. Gems that are less kind than us. Gems that don’t care for the Earth or organic life. Five thousand years ago, those Gems found the Earth…and they wanted to do something…bad.”

“What kind of ‘bad?’” Kumatora asked.

“They wanted to produce more of their kind,” Toriel stated, making Pearl flinch as if she was hit. “But they aren’t like us Earthlings. They can’t reproduce by mating with another one of themselves. Instead, they grow more of themselves out of the ground.”

“But doing so requires a lot of resources.” Asgore said. “And life energy. Depending on the Gem, even producing a single Gem could leave an area drained. Desolate. Robbed of all the life. If the Gems did that to Earth, and kept doing it, then Earth would have been rendered uninhabitable for Earthlings.”

A heavy pressure built in Frisk’s chest. The Gems did that? But…why hadn’t Frisk heard of such a thing? If that was true…then no wonder Asgore and Toriel had reacted so hostilely.

“But…” Pearl began. “There were those among the Homeworld Matriarchy that either didn’t agree with the system, or wanted to protect the life on Earth. When it was clear that Homeworld wasn’t going to stop, we started a Rebellion. We cast aside the symbol of Homeworld, and gave ourselves a new symbol, calling ourselves the Crystal Gems. From there…”

“We fought them off.” Garnet finished grimly. “We battled them for thousands of years. Many Gems on both sides were shattered. A lot of humans lost their lives. It was a maelstrom of destruction and death…” Suddenly, Garnet adjusted her glasses on her face, and Pearl looked away with her hand over her mouth, trembling. Then, Garnet spoke again. “It was hard, but eventually, Homeworld retreated. And here we are. We’re all that’s left of the Rebellion now.”

There was a heavy feeling of dread in Frisk’s chest. A war? A war between Gems? Why hadn’t she heard of this? Frisk’s imagination went wild at the thought. What did the other Gems look like? What were they like? What did the Homeworld do to make them rebel? And…just what did the Gems in front of her have to go through to protect the Earth? A planet that they had just arrived on at the time, had no obligation to protect, and turned against their home to protect?

Frisk looked at Crystal Gems, and for the first time, she thought she understood just a little bit of who these people were. She had only heard of the Crystal Gems in newspapers, whenever they slew a supernatural creature or destroyed a section of a town during a fight. She never considered just what sort of sacrifices that they would have made to protect humankind.

Frisk couldn’t help but feel respect toward the Crystal Gems. Even if they attacked the Monsters without provocation, they still meant well.

Asgore and Toriel had grim looks on their faces. “Golly.” Asgore said. “I…had no idea. I’m sorry for your losses.”

“Don’t apologize.” Garnet replied without a trace of emotion. “If anything, we should be apologizing to you.”

Frisk remembered Asgore and Toriel’s reactions. “Were the Gems here when the Monster were sealed away?”

Pearl flinched again, and Garnet clinched her fists, as if angry. Then, Pearl sighed and started to speak. “More than that. Before Homeworld could harvest Earth’s resources, they had to invade Earth’s inhabitants and either enslave them, or eliminate them. With the humans, it was easy. Gems were their superior in every way. We were stronger. We had magic. Our technology far outstripped theirs. But…there was another race. A race that was actually strong enough to resist us.”

“Monsters.” Toriel finished.

Connie was confused. “But…I thought Monsters were weaker than humans. Isn’t that why they were able to seal you away?”

Asgore looked at Connie. He seemed…sad. “My child… That’s not exactly the case…”

“Humans were able to defeat us, but it wasn’t a matter of physical strength.” Toriel said. “It was the nature of our beings. Monsters are made up of dust and magic. Yes, we have anatomy, and we have a physical form, but it’s not as solid or corporal as humans’. Because of that, our souls, the very essence of our being, are far weaker. Humans, on the other hand, are made of carbon and water. Physical matter. Because of that, in order for their souls to fill their bodies with the necessary life energy, they have to be much stronger. And because of their stronger souls, they can draw more power from strong emotions. Anger. Hate.”

“Determination.” Asgore finished.

That word rang through Frisk’s head.

_Determination._

Frisk clinched her fists, suppressing the sinister feeling creeping from her chest. She knew what Asgore meant. She knew the power of Determination better than anyone.

“Because our souls were so weak compared to theirs…” Toriel continued. “Humans could harm us by focusing their strong negative emotions upon us. Doing so would damage our souls, and therefore injure us. If a human with enough intent to kill struck a Monster, then the Monster would die.”

The rest of the children were looking at two goat Monsters. They paid very close attention, though Steven and Connie looked very confused.

“So…” Connie started. “If I really wanted to, I could just kill you just by wanting you dead that badly?”

“Yes.” Toriel replied grimly.

“Then…” Steven asked. “Why were the Gems and other humans afraid of you?” He looked at Asgore. “And Garnet wanted to hurt you before. If you’re so weak, why aren’t you…?”

Asgore gave a chuckle. “Some Monsters are more resilient than others.”

Pearl shifted her feet a little. “Steven… Just like Monsters and humans differ in their physical natures, so do Gems.”

“How so?” Kumatora asked.

“Our bodies aren’t real.” Garnet answered. “The humanoid forms that you’re looking at are just constructs made of light and magic that we use to interact with the physical world. Our real bodies, our souls, everything that makes us who we are, are our gems.” To emphasize her point, she raised her hands to Kumatora, Frisk, and Lucas, and opened her palm, revealing the light purple Gems on each hand.

Lucas blinked, “So, the gems are what’s really you?” he asked.

Pearl nodded and placed a finger on the round gem on her forehead. “We may seem similar to humans on the surface, but when it comes down to it, we’re just gems. And because of that, we can’t tap into emotional power like you humans can. It’s simply blocked by our gem. Against humans, this wasn’t much of a problem, because we were much stronger than them, and we had special abilities that they didn’t have. We could simply kill them by destroying their weak organic bodies. But against Monsters, all of whom had immense magical power that we couldn’t replicate with any of our abilities, and the strongest of which had physical strength and resilience on par with Quartz Gems...”

“Homeworld had a _very_ hard time.” Garnet finished. “When we tried to fight the Monsters alone, we lost. Their magic was strange, confusing, and very powerful. For the first time in millennia, another race of beings was actually putting up a fight against Homeworld. The Diamonds were at a loss. They didn’t know what to do against these creatures’ magic.”

“Then…” Pearl said, her voice starting to tremble. “Then… the Diamonds discovered humans… They saw that even though humans and Monsters coexisted for the most part, there were many parts of the world where there was tension between the two races. The humans… feared the Monsters. They feared their magic. They feared their strange appearances. It was so strange to the hierarchy why this was the case. But… when they saw this fear, they knew they could exploit it.”

“And so you Gems gathered the humans that feared us…” Toriel declared, her voice sharp, like a razor. Her narrowed her eyes at the Gems, like a judge who was about to declare someone guilty. “You told them that us Monsters wanted to destroy all of humankind. That we wanted to steal their souls to make ourselves more powerful and kill them all. And then, one of those humans rose in power, and with that power, he spread that rumor like a plague. And from there…”

“The humans rose against us with Gems’ help.” Asgore growled. He too was glaring at the Gems, and he was clinching his fists. “No declaration of war. No warning. Just humans, storming our villages and turning what Monsters they could find into dust. By the time that the rest of Kingdom of Monsters were aware that humans were attacking us, it was too late. Our numbers dwindled, and more and more Monsters were slaughtered. It was a massacre…”

Lucas looked up at Asgore and Toriel, his eyes full of concern. “You’re…talking as if you were there…” he said.

“We were!” Asgore growled. Frisk and Lucas flinched. This was so unlike him. Asgore was so gentle. When he had tried to kill Frisk, he was so distraught over it. He hadn’t wanted to kill Frisk to begin with, he tried everything he could to postpone killing her, and when he absolutely had to do it, it tore him apart. But now, his eyes were full of anger…hate. And…sadness…and grief…

Asgore looked at Lucas, and then at Frisk, and he immediately tried to compose himself. Toriel coughed into her hand, and Frisk saw that she wasn’t doing much better. For all the time that Frisk had been with the former Queen, Toriel had been so kind, but behind that grace and consideration was a will that couldn’t be matched. This willpower was evident when Toriel had tried everything she could to stop Frisk from trying to leave the Ruins, to the point of casting magic on her, all the while taking good care not to permanently harm Frisk. And when Toriel had stepped in to stop Asgore with fire magic…she looked so powerful, so unstoppable. She was like a mountain rising against the crashing sea.

Now, Toriel was looked like she was ready to fall over at any moment. She was trembling, and for a second, her crimson eyes flashed with light, before fading like a spark. She started to speak.

“Yes.” She said, in conformation to Asgore’s statement. “We were there in the Kingdom of Monsters 6000 years ago. We witnessed everything as it unfolded before our very eyes. We were there when humans and Monster lived in peace together, and when the Gems invaded our home. We were there when the rumors started. We were there when that… _Swine_ took the throne and the Gems and the humans besieged us.” Tears started running down Toriel’s face, and her breath became heavy and labored. “We…we were there…when they… wiped out the noble families…” Toriel’s hands went to her mouth, and she started to sob.

“We were there when the human armies drove us from our homes.” Asgore continued for Toriel. His voice was shaking as well, but he placed his hand on Toriel’s shoulder, as if to comfort her. Toriel shuddered, but to Frisk’s surprise, she didn’t glare at Asgore, or try to force his hand off. “We watched as Monster after Monster, ally after alley, was turned to dust… We watched… as the Queen…” Asgore sobbed suddenly, and put his free hand to his face, hiding his tears. “Mother…” he whispered, choking on his words.

Frisk’s heart felt like it had turned to lead. She knew that the King and Toriel were old, and had been ruling the Monsters for a long time, but…to have lived so long ago and seen so much history happen… To have lived for so long on the surface, where everyone was peaceful and free, only to have everything and everyone you loved ripped away from you just because some people were afraid of you for no reason, and to have been sealed underground for thousands of years with no light, no space, no freedom, no hope of escape… To endure that pain for thousands of years…

_They did this… The humans… They caused them this pain. It was their fault! IT WAS ALL THEIR FAULT! THEY HAVE TO DIE! ALL OF THEM! THEY HAVE TO…!_

Frisk shook head and looked at the two goat Monsters…her new parents. Frisk didn’t know the whole story. She hadn’t known Asgore and Toriel for that long. And even if she spent the rest of her life with them, there was no way she would ever know what it had been like for them. But for the first time, Frisk was aware of all the hurt that the war had inflicted upon the two personally. They had to deal with that pain for thousands of years. And that wasn’t even factoring in what they went through in the Underground…

Frisk’s parents were hurting. And what kind of daughter would she be if she just let them on like this?

“Mom…” Frisk said gently, gripping Toriel’s hand, then doing the same to Asgore. “Dad…” The two Monsters blinked and looked down at Frisk. In response, Frisk gave the most reassuring smile she could and gave both their hands a squeeze.

Lucas stepped next to her. He was frowning, and he was looking at Toriel and Asgore as if he was worried about them. “You’re crying…” he said, reaching out a hand towards them. “Are…you okay?”

Asgore and Toriel looked between Frisk and Lucas, and they smiled through their tears. They both tried to wipe them away, and Toriel gripped Lucas’s hand “We’ll be fine, little one.” Toriel said, her voice less shaky now. “Just…give us a moment…”

Frisk heard the shuffling of feet behind her. She turned around and saw that sound came from Connie, who had her eyes to the ground, a look of shame spread across her face. “Wow…” she said. “I’m so sorry. For everything.”

“Yeah.” Kumatora said. She didn’t look ashamed, but there was no fire in her eyes, only a gentle sympathy. “That sucks. That really, really sucks.”

“There’s no need for you children to apologize.” Asgore said. “None of what transpired was your fault. This all happened a long, long time ago.”

“Still…” Steven piped. Frisk turned her head to look at him. There were tears running down his face, and he was sniffling. Frisk blinked. Did…the story make him cry? Then, Steven walked up to Toriel side and wrapped his arms around her, Since Steven only wasn’t even as tall as Toriel’s waist, he just ended up hugging her legs. Toriel tensed, blinking down at the boy, and then she patted him on the head. When Steven was let go, he went to Asgore and did hugged him too.

Steven let go, wiped the tears from his eyes, and smiled at the two royal Monsters. “I know you’ve been through a lot, and I know neither the humans or the Gems can apologize enough for what’s happened to the Monsters. But humans aren’t like that anymore. The Crystal Gems have made them used to magic and monsters and other amazing things. We fight magic creatures all the time, and people barely bat an eye. Yeah, it’ll take some getting used to, but the humans will accept you. They’re good people. And there are any jerks who want hurt you, or treat you like don’t belong…” At this statement, Steven’s belly started to glow with a pink light, and circle of energy appeared in front of him. The circle solidified, becoming a shield, and Steven caught it without missing a beat.

“We’ll protect you.” he finished, raising the shield in front of himself.

“Steven…” Pearl said. There was something like…awe in her voice.

“Child…” Toriel said, taken aback by the boy’s display.

“I mean it.” Steven said. He lowered his shield so that he could make eye contact with the Monsters, and he gave an ear to ear grin. Stars formed in his eyes, and they seemed to twinkle. “My mom gave up everything for the Earth just to protect it. She saw beauty in everything, even in things that some people thought were ugly. She said that all life was precious, and even if it didn’t seem like it, every living thing was worth something. That means us humans. And that means you guys. You guys are a part of the Earth too, and we’re not going to let anything bad happen to you. Things are going to be different this time. I promise.”

“Steven…” Connie said. She was smiling at him. Frisk heard a sniff and saw Pearl wiping a tear from her eye. Amethyst didn’t make a sound, but she was looking at Steven fondly.

The Monsters were moved by the boy’s speech. Papyrus was clapping, bouncing up and down as he did so. “WOWIE!” he said. “I FEEL SAFER ALREADY, TINY HUMAN!”

“shucks, kid.” Sans said. He was looking down slightly, and Frisk saw him blushing blue slightly. “making me blush.”

“Yeah!” Undyne yelled enthusiastically. “Damn right it’s gonna be different this time!”

“Human…” Asgore said. He was smiling again, and the sorrow that had been around him and Toriel was completely gone. “No…Steven, was it? Thank you.”

Garnet walked up to Steven, and to Frisk’s surprise, she ruffled his curly mess of hair. “Couldn’t have said it better myself, Steven” she said, smiling down at him fondly. “Rose would have been proud you.”

Steven blushed, and he looked back to the Monsters.         

“Garnet was it?’ Toriel asked. “Forgive me for asking… does that child actually belong to you Crystal Gems?”

“Yes.” Garnet said. “He’s one of us.”

“Really?” Toriel said, somewhat surprised. She smiled at them. “Then you’ve raised a good one, Crystal Gems.”

Frisk felt herself smile with them. She couldn’t have agreed more. This boy had literally just met the Monsters, creatures with otherworldly powers and that by all rights had no reason to trust. And yet he tried to make peace with them from the being. He tried to show them mercy, and he had been nothing but kind and supportive throughout this little fiasco. He actually cried when the King and Toriel had told the Gems their story, and had tried to comfort them. Now he was, declaring to protect their entire race, probably fully aware of the difficulty in doing so. That kindness… that unconditional love for everyone… it reminded Frisk of… of…

_Asriel…_

Frisk didn’t even try to fight it as memories of times long forgotten filled her vision. A girl, her age, dressed in a green jumper with a yellow strip in the middle and brown trousers, running over a patch of golden blooms. There was a boy behind her, but he was a Monster… the body human, but the head of a goat, with tiny horns just protruding from his head, dressed in an outfit similar to the girl’s… The girl turned on her spot, and tackled to the goat boy to the ground. They laughed as they rolled on the ground, trying to overpower the other, to get on top of the other… And then the scene changed. The goat boy was all alone in that same field of flowers, crying. But he wasn’t alone. Frisk was there, and she went up to the boy and hugged him tight, his fur tickling her nose. The boy sobbed as he returned the embrace…

Frisk wiped the tear from her eye and looked at Steven. This boy was something else. She knew it. If he was really the product of a Gem and a human…then maybe there was hope for both races after all.

Garnet coughed into her hand, silencing everyone and gaining everyone’s attention. “What do you intend to do now?” She asked Asgore.

“We intended on going into contact with the humans nearby.” The King answered. “If negotiations were successful, then we would have made a settlement for ourselves.”

“That sounds reasonable.” Garnet said. “Actually, there’s a town by the ocean nearby. We made our base there, so the humans are especially used to magical phenomena. Perhaps, with our help, you could make your first settlement there.”

“WOWIE!” Papyrus cried. “A TOWN BY THE OCEAN! I’VE NEVER SEEN THE OCEAN BEFORE! WHAT IS IT?”

“think the bathtub in our house.” Sans said. “then make it much, much bigger.”

“WOWIE! LIVING BY A HUGE BATHTUB SOUNDS AWFULLY CONVINENT.”

Frisk wanted to tell Papyrus that he shouldn’t bath in salt water, but Toriel spoke before she could. “That sounds lovely. We’ll see about it.”

“One last thing.” Garnet said. She turned her head to look at Kumatora and Lucas. “Those children. The blonde boy and the pink girl.”

“What about us?” Kumatora said, defensively. She got closer to Lucas and put her arm between him and the Gems.

“Both of you are humans that possess powerful magical abilities.” Garnet said.

“Wait…” Toriel said. “I knew that Lucas had magic…but…Kumatora…”

“she’s right, tori.” Sans said. “girl blasted me with some sort of cold wind earlier. covered the entire ground around me with ice.”

“And earlier, when we were coming to meet you” Garnet said. “She blasted fire at me.”

“What?” Toriel said. She put her finger under her mouth in thought. “That means…not only is she powerful enough to actually change the world around her, but she also manipulated two opposing elements...”

“So what?” Kumatora said. “That’s not all I can do.” The Gems and the Monsters looked at her in shock and Kumatora looked down in thought. “At least… I think I can do other things…”

“That takes incredible flexibility in the soul….” Asgore said. “And you, Lucas. You’re a healer. And it came so naturally to you that you healed my injuries with little training.”

“Is…that bad?” Lucas squeaked, twiddling his thumbs as he did so.

Asgore laughed heartily. “No, no! That’s fantastic. Healing magic is one of the hardest magics to use at all! It’s rare for Monsters to have a natural talent for it! And if that wasn’t impressive enough, you somehow used a spell that I didn’t recognize and knocked the King of Monsters onto the ground!”

“And you managed to undo my fusion.” Garnet said. “And I’ve been able to maintain this form for thousands of years. It takes _a lot_ to undo something that strong.”

“But that doesn’t make sense.” Connie said. “I thought us humans didn’t have mages anymore. They died out soon after the Monsters were sealed away.”

“We thought so too.” Garnet said. “We haven’t seen any human perform magic for thousands of years. We never thought we would see one again. Yet here we are, faced with not one, but two mages on the same day with no explanation and without memories.”

Frisk saw Lucas swallow deeply. “So…what are going to do with us?”

“That depends on what you want.” Toriel said. She stepped away from the rest of the group and walked toward the two magical children. She knelled in front of Lucas. “Children, I know that today has been very difficult for you. You’ve lost any memories of who are and where you’ve come from. As far as you know, you have no family nearby, no friends to find you, nowhere that you can call home. I don’t know what we can do about your memories…but perhaps… you could come with us.”

Lucas blinked. “Come…with you?”

“Why would you want that?” Kumatora asked. “You just met us. You don’t know us, and you have a million other things that you have to do.”

“Lots of reasons.” Asgore said, joining Toriel by her side. Toriel flashed a brief glare at her ex-husband, before she looked back at the two children. “We might not have known you for long, but you seem like good children. It would take a heart of stone to leave you two with no guide in your time of need. Furthermore…” Asgore reached his hand out to Lucas’s, encircling the boy’s small fingers with his large ones. “You two have a gift.” He said.

“You mean…magic?” Lucas asked.

Toriel nodded. “You two are the only human mages that we know are alive today. That makes you too precious to simply let you out into the dangerous world with no help. And most importantly, you show remarkable potential. I see you doing great things with your magic. But before that happens, your gift must be nurtured. Guided by a hand that has experience with the art.”

“You mean you.” Kumatora said.

“Me, and any other Monster that knows magic that you have talent for.” Toriel confirmed.

“It isn’t that strange.” Asgore said. “Back when humans and Monsters lived together, we had a mutually beneficial relationship. We Monsters would bond with humans. Doing so allowed us to tap into their Determination, increasing our power by incredible amounts. In return, we would awaken the human’s soul, allowing them to cast magic. Then, we Monsters, who lived and breathed magic, would teach them how to cast spells. This is how the first wizards were born.”

“Children….” Toriel said, smiling sweetly. “We’re not going to make you do anything you don’t want to. But if you have nowhere to go…would like to live with us?”

Lucas was taken aback. His breath hitched a bit, and he took a step back, letting go of Asgore’s hand. “I…I…” he stammered. He took a breath, and spoke again. “The two of you are so kind… You have so much to worry about already. I don’t want to intrude and get in the way…”

Toriel laughed. “You’re won’t get in the way, Lucas. I’m more than happy to take you in. You need someone to look after you.”

“I…” Lucas said, uncertain. His eyes looked between Asgore and Toriel. Then, he looked at Kumatora, as if asking her something.

“Hey.” Kumatora said, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t remember anything except you, Lucas. You’re literally all I have.” Kumatora put a hand on her hip and smiled at Lucas. “Wherever you go, I go.”

Lucas blinked, and then nodded at her. Then, he turned to Asgore and Toriel and smiled again. “I’ll go with you!” he said.

“You will?” Toriel asked, barely keeping the excitement from her voice.

“Yes!” Lucas cried. And with that, he leapt up at Toriel and wrapped his arms around her neck. Toriel laughed and wrapped his arms around him in return.

Frisk smiled at the sight of them hugging. It looked like Papyrus was right after all, except now she had a sister as well as a brother. Frisk couldn’t complain. Lucas seemed really nice and caring, and though she was definitely rough around the edges, Kumatora didn’t seem like a bad person either. Not only that, both them could use magic. Frisk’s mind swam with possibilities. What would they learn? What could they do? It was sure to be an exciting experience.

And for the first time, Frisk wouldn’t be the only human who was a freak.

Lucas let go of Toriel and rushed to embrace Asgore as well, who was all too eager to return the hug. Toriel opened her arms to Kumatora, but she took a step back, an apprehensive look on her face.

“Sorry.” She said. “I don’t do hugs…”

Toriel let down her arms, almost looking disappointed. Asgore let down Lucas, and they turned towards the rest of the party.

“Well.” Garnet said, smiling as she adjusted the glasses on her face. “Now that that’s settled, what do you say we get going?”

“YES PLEASE!” Papyrus cried. “WE’VE BEEN STUCK HERE FOR FAR TOO LONG! THERE’S A WHOLE WORLD TO EXPLORE, AND WE’RE DYING TO GO SEE IT!”

“Hold your horses.” Garnet said. “We still have things we need to do first.”

 “What are we waiting for?” Steven said. “Let’s go!” With that, the boy walked off, down the forest trail paved in dirt.

“You heard the kid!” Undyne yelled. “C’mon!” She followed Steven, with Pearl, Amethyst, Papyrus, Sans, and Connie following. Garnet looked at Asgore and Toriel one last time before following herself.

The two goat Monsters looked between Lucas, Kumatora, and Frisk. “Well, children…” Toriel said. “Shall we get going?”

Frisk nodded, and then looked down the trial. The wind was blowing, making the trees rustle softly. The sun was high in the sky now, shining its golden light down on the land below. It was beautiful day now, and it had just started. The morning had been rough, and people had gotten hurt, but they were back on their feet again, and they were ready to face what the rest of the day had to offer. The Monsters were free, and even better, they had new allies. Allies they could trust. Allies they could count on to be there. Sure, there were challenges up ahead, and they were sure to get knocked down again a few times, but they had each other. They could make things through. They could do it.

Frisk was filled with Determination, and, with her strange new family and friends, she set down the mountain path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A friend of mine had a friend of his made the picture at the end of the story. Her devianart name is MelodyNomRocket. Credit goes to her.  
> And with that, this particular arc has come to a close. I don't know about you guys, but the name "Lucas Dreemur" has a sort of ring to it (can't really say the same for "Kumatora Dreemur because her first name is mouthful...). And more importantly, all of the main characters are together now, so our story can now begin in earnest. Five arcs will be made for this fic, and they will be full of heartwarming moment, sad moments, funny moments, and all the other types of moments that make these three works great. There is also going to be A LOT of canon welding and headcanons, so there are probably going to be a few surprises in how the three works are connected in this fic.  
> Another thing... From here on, I'm going to do something called "fanart requests." Assuming I have any readers that are any good at making art, every week, I'm going to submit an idea for fanart involving this story idea at the end of each chapter. If any of you want to take it up, then send a link in the comment section and give credit where credit is due. Also, keep it G-rated... This is not that kind of story...


	6. A New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk's family and the Crystal Gems do their best to negotiate terms with the humans. All goes well, at least until Lucas unwittingly makes his new foster parents recall the reason they divorced... No crying until the end, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello. I'm back. Sorry I'm a bit late. School and Thanksgiving took a bit of my time. Anyways... I hope this chapter is to everyone's liking.

To say that the next few weeks were busy would be understatement.

After their talk, the Crystal Gems took the Monsters to get a view of their hometown from a tall hill.  Despite being called, well, a city, Beach City was actually quite a bit smaller than Steven had made it seem. Frisk saw the city was only about twelve blocks at the most, with the tallest building in the entire city being the water tower with the words “BEACH CITY” posted on it. Still, the town had a close-nit and cozy feel to it, and the view of the ocean was amazing.

The Monsters certainly seemed to think that to. Papyrus and Undyne were speechless. They had never seen the ocean before, and Frisk had to grab their wrists and tell them that they had to follow the Gems and left them introduce the Monsters to the people. Toriel and Asgore wiped away tears again when they saw the ocean. Frisk wasn’t surprised. It had been thousands of years since they’ve seen the ocean or a beach after all. Strangely, Sans didn’t really react when he saw the ocean, even though he also hadn’t seen the ocean before. Though, when Frisk thought about it, maybe it wasn’t that surprising…

Steven was eager to get the Monsters down into the city and meet the people. Frisk admired his enthusiasm, but she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Sure, Steven and the Gems had said that the people who lived in that city were used to magic, but that didn’t mean that they would just accept the Monsters. Even without factoring in the Monsters’ strange appearance and magic, they were a whole group of new undocumented people who were trying to make new lives. Would the people of this city really be inclined to just let the Monsters live there?

Regardless of Frisk’s fears, the Monsters wanted to go on down. No matter what the risk was, they wouldn’t get anywhere with the humans if they just sat there. So, with the Crystal Gems taking the lead, Frisk and the Monster walked down the hill, into the quiet city below.

_No! The humans will kill them! You can’t do this! They will die! They will all die! They will…!_

The Monsters stepped into the city, in plain sight in front of every human in the city, and…

It wasn’t so bad. Either the people of Beach City were really desensitized to magical activities by the Gems, or they really trusted Steven and the Crystal Gems. Frisk suspected it was mix of both.

Sure, the people were shocked by the Monsters. They stared, they gasped, they pointed, they went to get their friends, they crowded around the Monsters to get a better look, but they weren’t really _hostile_ about it. They just wanted to know if the Monsters were friendly or not.

Luckily, Steven was there to talk to the citizens. The boy seemed to be on close terms with everyone in the city, though considering how small it was, maybe it wasn’t that big of a surprise. Once Steven assured them that the Monsters were friends, the people of Beach City calmed down. The more social of them even introduced themselves, albeit slightly uncomfortably, and asked for the Monsters’ name. Papyrus was all too eager to share his own, practically screaming it to all the citizens. Frisk had to tell Papyrus to keep his voice down, but he only lowered his voice by a little. Thankfully, the citizens didn’t seem to mind that much, though they did cover ears.

It was more than Frisk had ever hoped for. The people were so…nice. Much nicer than the people Frisk had lived with. They welcomed the Monsters, and for the most part were quite polite, or at the very least weren’t rude. And the citizens had so much character to them, each one so distinct from the others, and there were so many that Frisk couldn’t remember everyone’s names. Still, she tried, and she managed to remember just a few, like Jamie, Sadie, Sour Cream, Kiki…

Introductions were interrupted when the Mayor drove up to crowd on his car. The Mayors name was Dewey, and Frisk knew this because on top of the car was an electric head shaped like the Mayor’s, and it would blare “MAY-YOR-DEW-WEY!” every two seconds. If the Mayor thought it make sure his name got stuck in everyone’s heads, it worked.

The Mayor seemed for more panicked about the Monsters than his citizens, though not quite for the reasons that Frisk thought he would. He interrogated Steven, asking what the Monsters were doing there, and just what they were. Even when Steven said they were friendly, he seemed apprehensive, but he seemed more worried about how the citizens and the state were going to react, and how he could accommodate the Monsters. After a few minutes, he calmed down and saw that the citizens didn’t seem that worried. Then, he politely introduced himself to Asgore. When Asgore told Mayor Dewey that there were thousands of Monsters waiting by Mount Ebott, Mayor Dewey nearly had a heart attack. When he composed himself, he told the Monsters to wait while he got into contact with the state and US governments.  From there, the negotiations between humans and Monsters started.

The next few days were the longest that Frisk had ever experienced. Frisk and the Monsters had to spend nights away from the Mount Ebott so that they could meet with the government. Frisk hadn’t expected her job as ambassador to be easy, but attending meeting after meeting was absolutely draining. Frisk was speaking with the Monsters for hours at a time, with very few hours of rest in between them. It wouldn’t have been so bad if Frisk was used to talking to others, but she wasn’t, so speaking on a podium, in full view of hundreds of adults who were looking for any excuse to rebuke her was nerve wreaking, as well as exhausting.

Despite their good start at Beach City, winning over the people at large was proving to be very difficult. Though a lot of the people she met had been surprisingly reasonable and accepting of the Monsters, there were still a lot of others who were…less so. Whenever they saw the Monsters, Frisk could see the malice on their faces, contorting them into spiteful glares. Nothing that any of the Monsters did or anything Frisk said seemed to please them, and whenever any of the Monsters did anything “out of line” (which given Papyrus’s and Undyne’s boisterous natures happened several times), they would shout and scream, doing anything to present that behavior as proof of the Monsters’ defective natures. Worse still, when they saw Frisk for the first time, they asked to see the “real ambassador”. When the Monsters confirmed that Frisk was indeed the ambassador, the politicians just scoffed. They didn’t really say anything bad against her directly, but they seemed very eager to remind everyone in the room that Frisk was a child, as if that delegitimized what she said. It certainly didn’t help that the armed guards at these meetings kept glaring at the Monsters, as if daring them to make a move.

And of course, there were the protests. At every meeting, there was always at least one crowd of protestors at the entrance of the governmental buildings, waving their signs, screaming about how the Monsters are unnatural creatures, how they’re evil and cannot be trusted, and how they’ll bring the end of humankind with their powers. Throughout all the meetings, they would just crowd there, screaming at the buildings with their hateful words, and whenever the Monsters so much as set foot outside the building, their screaming would get louder and they would try to crowd the Monsters away. At their worst, they would start throwing rocks and food and other things at the Monsters. Frisk had to make sure that Undyne got out of their as soon as possible, because even if was out of self-defense, if Undyne started hurting humans, it would make people dislike them further. The worst part as that even when the Monsters went home, Asgore and Toriel would still be buried in calls by politicans or the anti-Monster division, who’d just spend ten minutes or more yelling at the Boss Monsters for such stupid reasons.

Still, despite everything, Frisk kept going. No matter how much the politicians kept belittling her, no matter how horribly they treated her, Frisk kept going. She pleaded with the government to let the Monsters live in peace, to give them a safe place to live. She told everyone who attended the meetings about how good the Monsters were, about the amazing things they could do, about the rich, peaceful lives that they lived. True, Frisk knew that she wouldn’t be able to convince everyone she met, but every time she went up to speak, there would be at least a few people who would listen to her. Those people would politely ask her questions whenever she stopped speaking, seeming endlessly curious about the Monsters and their culture. Frisk loved talking to these people on friendly terms, and just the knowing that there were humans that wanted to understand the Monsters gave her the Determination to make it through.

Of course, Frisk wasn’t alone in the negotiations. Her new parents, Asgore and Toriel, lead the negotiations for the Monsters, and they took care of the politics that Frisk was honestly too young to understand. Frisk couldn’t think of any other people better suited for the job. Toriel really took charge of the whole thing, telling the people that they met the conditions of Monster kind and exactly what they were willing to do in order to make peace. Whenever she was met with one of the more unpleasant politicians, she would engage in verbal combat with them, carefully disassembling what they said and shoving their hypocrisy back in their faces. Meanwhile, Asgore was the face of the Monsters with his gentle demeanor and ample patience. He never argued back whenever someone tried to talk him down, choosing either ignoring them or letting Toriel sic them. The King tried as well as he could to work with Frisk and paint a positive picture of the Monsters he ruled, and with the amount of charisma that he displayed, Frisk had little doubt that he and Toriel did a great job representing the race of magic. And most importantly (to Frisk anyway), Asgore and Toriel were actually working together for extended periods of time, without Toriel berating him for anything. True, Toriel was still acting cold, but this was at least a start in improving their relationship, and Frisk was optimistic.

It certainly helped that they had a lot of allies to fall back upon. Steven and the Crystal Gems were a god send. The government seemed surprisingly recipient to what the Gems had to say about the Monsters, though there were still many that viewed them with suspicion. Apparently, spending millennia protecting the Earth earned quite the respect among the worlds’ governments. The Gems did seem a bit aloof with the humans, almost as if they were talking them down, but they still did their best to convince the government that the Monsters weren’t a threat to the humans. Steven also helped, speaking with the Gems whenever they spoke, eagerly talking about how amazing he found the Monsters and how kind they were.  Steven’s cheerful attitude and friendly charisma was quite refreshing, boosting Frisk’s and her parent’s confidence, and it seemed to sway the politicians somewhat. The other Monsters also did their best to impress the government. Frisk made a point of bringing Sans, Papyrus, and Undyne along for the public seminars before and after the meetings, and   the results were quite positive if Frisk could say so herself. Papyrus was an absolute star among the human civilian population. Sure, he was egotistical, childish, and so loud that Frisk and Sans had to keep reminding him to lower his voice, but he was so kind and sweet towards every human he met, and his sheer enthusiastic nature was infectious. Most of the people he met adored him, and he seemed delighted to have all of the popularity and affection he had been craving for so long. Undyne was slightly less of a hit among the humans. Frisk could only assume that some people were driven away by her…intensity and her boisterous nature. Still, she did make friends, especially among sportspeople or other soldiers.

The dark side to all of this was that even though Frisk wanted humans to trust that the Monsters wouldn’t hurt them, there were still things that they had to leave out. For example, the Monsters never mentioned to any of the humans the small, insignificant little fact that each them had tried to kill Frisk at some point to harvest her soul, or that six human children had to die on order to break down the barrier. Even if it was to get the Monsters their freedom, Frisk and Toriel highly doubted that the government would let the killing of six children or the attempted murder of human girl slide. As a result, Toriel forbade the other Monsters to say anything about it, growling at them with glowing crimson eyes as she did so. The three Monsters readily agreed, probably because they were (rightfully) scared of what Toriel would do to them.

Likewise, the Gems left out the part where they attacked the Monsters because they thought they were a threat to the Earth, though Frisk wasn’t sure if the Gems were thinking of the Monsters’ wellbeing, or if they were too embarrassed to say that they nearly got their gemstones handed to them on a silver platter and had to be rescued by human children.

Speaking of human children….

“Are you sure Lucas and Kumatora can’t come with us on just _one_ meeting, mom?” Frisk had asked, during a grace period between meetings. “I’m sure they would have some good things to say to the people.”

“Frisk…” Toriel said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Those two are lovely children…but I fear that involving them in our politics would prove unwise.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Those two have no memories of their past. They know nothing of the world, and that isn’t something that we can hide. If we put have them speak to the people on the stage, anything they had to say would be taken apart by the simple fact that they don’t remember anything. Furthermore, we might have taken them in, but the politicians will just use that fact as leverage. They’re already accusing us of using you, a human child _with_ memories and knowledge of the world, as a pawn. If we put them on the spot, at best it will look manipulative. At worst, they might accuse us of taking away their memories so we can use them.”

“Oh.” Frisk had replied. She honestly hadn’t thought of that.

“More importantly…” Asgore added. “Those two children are human mages. The first two in centuries. If we reveal what they can do to the world at large right now, when we don’t know how humans will treat us or our magic, the government might take them away from us. They could study those two so that their magic replicated. And if that happens…then the humans might gain the means to seal us away again.”

“Oh….”

“Besides” Toriel said. “Do you really think that they will be able to speak appropriately the way they are now?”

Frisk couldn’t argue with that. The two strange children have been staying with Frisk and her parents for quite some time, and while the pair had been good company, there were still…issues. Kumatora had calmed down a bit since after the fight between the Monsters and the Crystal Gems. Apparently, most of her hostility had been on account of the stress of being in a strange place with people that she didn’t know without any memories to fall back on. Once she had a few days to adjust, she wasn’t constantly angry anymore. However, even without all that negativity, Kumatora was still quite a handful. She swore like a sailor, and she barely listened to anything that Asgore and Toriel said to her. She was highly rambunctious, always eager to go outside and do something, and was easily bored when she had nothing to do. As a result, Kumatora and Toriel had clashed quite a few times over proper language and obedience. Frisk was just glad Toriel was so patient, otherwise Kumatora might have had a bad time.

Though Frisk noticed that Kumatora seemed to behave better when she was around Lucas. The boy was much politer than Kumatora, or any other boy his age that Frisk had met. He was very soft spoken, and always did as Frisk’s parents told him. He was quick to call out Kumatora if she misbehaved, and whenever he was given a meal, he seemed to make point to say express his gratitude. However, Lucas was very shy. He barely talked to Frisk or her parents during the first few days, only speaking when he was spoken to, and he still seemed very nervous when he was around the other Monsters or the Gems or anyone new, to point where he’d go quiet and hide behind Toriel or Asgore. There were also moments where Lucas would just…space out. His eyes would just settle on a spot and he’d just…stare. It was like he was lost in a place far away from Frisk or her parents. Lucas would come back if someone called his name and tapped him on the shoulder, but he’d look sad when they did. He only brightened up when he was around Kumatora, who’s fiery energy seemed to bring out the light in him.

It probably didn’t help that Asgore and Toriel would leave the two children for nearly the entire day in the care of one of the other Monsters, only coming back after the meetings. From what Sans told them, Lucas and Kumatora mostly kept to themselves during the babysits, and seemed weary of the skeleton that was assigned to watch them. Whenever Toriel or Asgore came around, they seemed more open, but they still seemed to be tense and on their guard. Worse, neither of them seemed to remember anything about themselves, and seemed to have forgotten basic things about the world. They didn’t know any history or important locations that most other people would know. This by itself wasn’t much of a surprise, but when Kumatora actually asked “What the hell’s a government?”, Frisk and her parents were utterly bewildered. What could have affected the children’s memories so badly that they couldn’t remember what a government was? Whatever the case, that meant Frisk couldn’t ask them for help. She would have to rely on herself to make a case for the Monsters.

And so, Frisk kept working. Even with all of the support of her friends, it was still bitter work. The meetings just got longer and longer, and Frisk and her parents ended up staying out later and later. By the time the first week was over, Frisk was exhausted to the core.

But the results were worth it. At the end of the first week that the barrier fell, the United Federation of Nations agreed that for the time being, Monsterkind would be allowed to live on the Surface. The only condition was that the first settlements were to be around the base of Mount Ebott, where most of the Monsters were already starting to settle, and Beach City, where the Monsters would be under the watchful eye of the Earth’s guardians, the Crystal Gems.

….

Lucas was watching the news with Kumatora when he saw the announcement happen.  He saw Asgore, Toriel, and Frisk standing in front of a group of people in suits sitting in rafters high in the wall. The expressions on his strange new guardians’ faces were stoic, but he could tell from the way that they had been talking about these meetings that the three of them were very nervous. He saw Asgore’s jaw tighten as the leader of the people in suits unfolded a sheet of paper. He saw Toriel’s breath hitch slightly when the man cleared his throat. And when the man said, “As of this day, the United Federation of Nations has agreed that the Kingdom of the Monsters will be allowed to settle on the Surface, starting with the area in the vicinity of Mount Ebott and Beach City…”

“Freakin’ finally!” Kumatora cried, throwing up her arms as Lucas flinched from the sudden noise. “What took those assholes so long?”

Lucas couldn’t answer her. For the past seven days or so, his new…parents…had been leaving him and Kumatora alone during the day to go talk to some important people. When Lucas had asked why on the first day, Toriel said they were people that they were the government. When Kumatora asked what that was, Toriel said that the government was a group of people that could help secure peace between humans and Monsters. When Lucas asked why, Toriel sighed, as if upset. Lucas had felt his heart get a little heavy at that. All he had wanted was to learn more about the world that he didn’t remember. He hadn’t wanted to make his guardian upset.

Even after a week, Lucas and Kumatora hadn’t gained any of their memories back. Lucas tried all that he could think of to get them back. He tried reading through the books and the newspapers, but nothing was familiar to him. He watching the… TV (is that what it was called…?), but the images they showed were strange, and from Frisk told him, mostly not real. He tried doing what Garnet told him and mediate, but nothing would come to him. Toriel even offered to use healing magic on his and Kumatora’s skulls in between those brief periods when she was in the hotel room. And even after all that effort, no memories arose.

Still… it hadn’t been all bad. Though the times that his new guardians and sister were brief, they were still very pleasant. Despite the wariness and stress that the meetings brought them, Toriel and Asgore still did their best to make sure that Lucas and Kumatora were comfortable in their new surroundings. Toriel was sure to check their vitals whenever they came back It seemed like she was especially concerned for their health because the two mages had lost their memories, and she didn’t know if there were anything else wrong with them. Frisk would then fill Lucas and Kumatora in on what happened during the meetings and how her friends were doing, while Toriel warmed up a hot meal and Asgore made some delicious tea. Though it was evident that she was frustrated by all of the politics, Frisk kept a cheerful spirit that Lucas could only admire. She always kept trying to focus on the friendly people they met and the progress they made, rather than the people that kept trying to keep the Monsters from living on the surface. It made Lucas feel rather warm inside to see his new sister work so hard to make peace between the two races and hearing that it was paying off.

After that, Toriel and Asgore would set the table and they’d have a rather pleasant dinner. Asgore would ask Lucas and Kumatora how their day had gone and what they had done. He would listen intently while Lucas and Kumatora filled him in, nodding every now and then and giving a small smile. Meanwhile, Toriel would listen in, taking the empty plastic plates they ate on when they were done, and refilling their cups when they were empty. She’d ask if Lucas or Kumatora remembered anything about themselves. When they said no, she’d give a small frown, and then change the subject by telling them about all the great things she was seeing on the surface, and how much she was looking forward to seeing more.

The only issue was that, for some reason, Toriel seemed…angry at Asgore. The first night that they stayed at the inn, Asgore seemed very nervous around Toriel, constantly shifting his eyes in her direction when he was speaking, as if he was afraid of saying something to anger her. Likewise, whenever Asgore talked on his own, particularly when he was talking to the politicians, she glared at him, as if daring him to give him a reason to hit him. When the group had gotten back to the inn they were staying in, Asgore seemed to be in a hurt to leave, and only stayed when Frisk said she wanted him to have dinner with them. Toriel accepted, but she seemed reluctant, and she still glared at Asgore from across the table.

Lucas was very confused by the tension between them. When he first saw Asgore and Toriel, he had assumed they were husband and wife. Not only were they obviously the same species, they had worked so in sync that Lucas could only assume they had known each other for a long time. Yet when serious business was taken care of, the air of hostility would come right back.  Whenever Lucas asked Kumatora about it, she said that they were either having a lovers’ spat, or they weren’t together yet, but they were attracted to each other and Toriel was just in denial about her feelings. While Lucas could see where she was coming from, Toriel just didn’t seem like the type of person who’d be that irrational, and the hostility felt a bit deeper than that. Still, Lucas enjoyed the time he spent with the two Monsters. Even after all the trouble that came with his and Kumatora’s arrival, they still treated them with such kindness.

This wasn’t to say that the time his guardians left them alone wasn’t enjoyable in its own right. Though Lucas and Kumatora had no concrete memories of each other, it felt like they had known each other their whole lives. With Kumatora, it was rather easy to pass the time before their guardians came home. They watched TV, sometimes tuning in on the news to see how the debates were going, sometimes looking at an entertainment channel to see if there were any shows they liked. They would read books to try and find out more about the world and jog their memories. They sometimes even tried using their magic in a little corner of the room. Of course, it probably helped that the Dreemurrs made sure that the children had good company…

“they’re politicians, kid.” Sans replied from his end of the couch. The skeleton was practically sinking into the couch from the way he lazed in it. “before they make any decisions, they have to debate with themselves to decide what the best course of action is.”

“Debate?” Lucas asked.

“they scream at each other like babies in the hopes of getting their way.” Sans clarified.

“That’s stupid.” Kumatora said.

“that’s politics.” Sans said with a wink, a huge grin forming on his face.

Lucas and Kumatora chuckled at his response. Whenever Frisk, Toriel, and Asgore left to meet with the government, they left Sans to watch over them. The first time they did that, Lucas got nervous. While he had no problem with the other Monsters, they were still strangers to him, and honestly, he was a little scared of them. Undyne towered over him and Kumatora, and she was so loud and aggressive. Papyrus was nicer at least, but he was even louder than Undyne and Lucas could barely understand him. And Sans… In his mind, Lucas know Sans gave him no reason to fear him. He was friendly enough when they first met, and he was a lot calmer than his friends. But Lucas remembered the way Sans stared at him behind his back. Even after the mess with Gems, Lucas would still catch glimpses of Sans staring at him and Kumatora. And from the way he looked at them…Lucas could swear that Sans didn’t like them at all…

But when Sans was sent to watch over them, it wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was actually rather fun. Frisk hadn’t been kidding when she said that Sans was lazy. The skeleton really wasn’t inclined to do much, feeling content to just laze around the hotel room and just watch TV with Lucas or Kumatora, or watch the children play. On more than one occasion, Sans fell asleep on the couch, leaving Lucas and Kumatora to fend for themselves. However, the skeleton was actually quite nice. He went out and bought lunches for the children, even though Lucas was sure that the humans outside were still fearful of Monsters. He had a good sense of humor, constantly telling puns and jokes of various kinds that made Lucas laugh (though Kumatora personally found the puns annoying). Sometimes, he would even play a game with them, though he rarely bothered with following the rules, much to Kumatora’s annoyance. For a Monster with such a ghastly appearance, Sans was a remarkably friendly and funny soul, and Lucas genuinely enjoyed being around him.

Lucas and Kumatora turned their attention back to the TV, where Asgore and Toriel were shaking the hands of the people on the stage. “So…what happens now?” Lucas asked.

Sans shrugged. “welp, from i can figure is that us monsters are gonna move up to the surface now. don’t know about the specifics, but that’s the general idea.”

“Does that mean you and the others are going to live with us?” Lucas asked.

Sans burst into fit of rather goofy laughter at that. “wow, kid! movin a bit fast, aren’t ya?”

Lucas frowned. “What did I say?”

“kid, you’re nice and all, but do you really want me, paps, undyne, and her girlfriend all livin in the same house with ya?”

“God, no!” Kumatora cried before Lucas could answer. “I can barely take being around you guys as it is!”

Sans shivered at that. “did you use that magic wind again? cause that was _cold_ …”

“Oh, grow some thicker skin will ya?” Kumatora said, giving the skeleton a poke at the elbow.

“i would, but…” Sans looked down at his body and pointed at his skeletal forearm.

“You know what I meant!” Kumatora cried. “And for such a funny guy, you sure can’t seem take a joke!”

“oh, I can, sweetheart.” Sans said. “but your humor doesn’t tickle my funny bone.”

“Oh my God! You’ve use that one already!”

“what did ya expect kuma? i’m lazy….” Lucas say the grin on Sans’ s face widen and his eyelights twinkle, and he knew that another pun was coming. “you could say i’m a _lazybones_.”

“ _Bonehead_!” Kumatora screamed, and with that she stormed off the couch and marched into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

“geez…” Sans said. “girl needs to get some thicker skin.”

…

A few hours later, Toriel, Asgore, and Frisk came through the door. Lucas greeted them with a hug, like he usually did. Kumatora gave them all an enthusiastic wave, smiling brightly as she did so. Sans congratulated them all, the grin on his face wider than Lucas had ever seen it, before leaving to go find his brother.

That night, Toriel had warmed up some frozen pasta she bought from the store down the road. When she set the table, Lucas immediately noticed something different from the last few nights.

“You’ve… bought a lot of food, Toriel.” Lucas said.

“Well, we’ve taken the first step towards progress tonight.” Toriel replied with a smile. “I thought that it called for a celebration.”

“Because nothing says ‘You did it!’ like tasteless, manufactured chemicals that Frisk would have us believe is food.” Kumatora said.

Lucas shot her a look. He couldn’t say he didn’t agree with her (the frozen food was kind of bad), but she didn’t have to sound so ungrateful… But much to Lucas relief, Frisk and their guardians laughed at Kumatora’s remark.

“It doesn’t exactly give an air of victory, does it?” Asgore said. “Honestly, if this is what humans eat nowadays, I’m not sure who they’ve survived for thousands of years.”

“Luckily, we won’t have to put up with it for much longer.” Frisk said, giving a look at Toriel’s direction. “After all, we’ll have the Underground’s best chief cooking for us, right?”

Toriel blushed. “Frisk, please. I’m not _that_ good. The only thing you’ve tasted of my own cooking was the butterscotch cinnamon pie.”

“But it _sooooo_ good!” Frisk insisted.

“Indeed, Toriel.” Asgore added. “Your pies are the best in the Underground. I can safely say that in all the thousands of years we’ve been alive, I have yet to taste anything that can compare to your pies.”

Toriel tensed when Asgore said that. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it, and then said, “Thank you.” She took a sip of her tea.

Lucas blinked. The way Asgore had said that implied that he was accustomed to tasting her food. If she cooked for him often enough for that, that meant they at least had to be close. So, why so tense…?

Lucas hesitated for a moment, because he didn’t know if the question was appropriate. Then, he decided that he wouldn’t know unless he said asked. “So…are you two married?”

At that, Toriel choked on the tea she was drinking. Frisk shot a look at Lucas, as if to say, “Why did you say that?”

“NO!” Toriel cried as soon she cleared her throat. “GOD, NO!”

Lucas flinched at that. What did he say? He just asked a question and Toriel just exploded. Was that too personal?

Lucas looked as Asgore for support, and what he saw shocked him. Just a moment ago, Asgore was smiling without a care in the world. Now he looked sad….no, he didn’t just look sad. He looked…wounded. Empty. Like he got a large part of his soul ripped out and Lucas had just now noticed.

Asgore cleare his throat. “Well, you aren’t entirely wrong Lucas. We _were_ married.”

“But not anymore.” Toriel said sternly, looking directly into Asgore’s eyes. All traces of happiness and levity vanished from her face, leaving only icy bitterness in its place.

Lucas looked between them, biting his tongue. _Oh…. I think that explains all of the hostility. Maybe I should…_

Before he could say anything, Toriel coughed into her hand. “Shouldn’t you be going, Asgore?”

Asgore looked at her with uneasy eyes. “What do you mean?”

“There are still many matters that need to be settled with the state.” Toriel replied. “A lot of which was given to us on paper. _Shouldn’t you take care of that?_ ”

Asgore and Lucas flinched at the venom in her voice. Then, Asgore rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “Yes… I probably should.” With that Asgore stood up. “I’ll take my leave.”

Frisk looked at him with a sad expression. “Good night, Dad.” she said.

Asgore gave her a small smile. “Good night, little one.” He gave Frisk a quick hug, and ruffled Lucas and Kumatora’s hair before heading to the door.

“Good night.” Lucas and Kumatora said at the same time. Asgore replied in kind, before going out the door.

“Good riddance.” Toriel said with a huff.

Lucas bit his tongue at her anger. So, they had been married before, but they aren’t? Why? Those two were some of the nicest people he had ever meet. He saw no reason why they couldn’t have been the best of friends, if not more. If they were close before, what could have happened that was so bad that they would divorce…?

Lucas shouldn’t have said anything. He screwed up just like he had back in at Mount Ebott.

There was a moment of awkward silence after that. Toriel got Asgore’s leftovers and dumped it into the trash. Lucas looked from Frisk, to Kumatora, who just shrugged, to Frisk again.

Frisk cleared her throat and then started to speak. “So…mom… now that Monsters have some territory to settle… what are we going to do now?”

Toriel blinked at her, and then smiled again. “Well Frisk, the first step is to go back to the Underground and tell the citizens the good news. Once we settle who’s going where, we’ll get started on our new lives on the surface…”

Frisk nodded in understanding. “I guess that’s the logical next step.”

“I can still hardly believe we did it…” Toriel said, her voice trembling in… was that excitement or sorrow? Both? “After all this time… we’ve finally made back to the surface. The humans are actually letting us stay here...”

“Hey!” Kumatora said. “After all you Monsters have gone through, you deserve a fresh start! You’ve _earned_ this!”

Toriel smiled at her. “Thank you, little one. I look forward to taking care of the three of you.”

“And I look forward to tasting your legendary butterscotch cinnamon pie when our new house is built.” Kumatora said.

Toriel laughed at that. “I’ll be sure to make you three a batch as soon as I’m able then.”

“I’m gonna hold you to it, Goat Mom!”

Toriel blinked as Lucas and Frisk laughed at that statement. “Goat…Mom?” she said, confused.

….

Things picked up quickly after Monsters obtained some land for themselves. The citizens of the Underground were ecstatic that the humans more or less accepted them on the surface, and they started preparing to move the very day the King announced the good news. Over the course of a single week, hundreds upon Monsters packed up their homes and businesses in the Underground, and went to the Surface for their new lives.

The limited amount of settlement space didn’t seem to bother the Monsters. Most of them, mainly the older ones, decided to linger around Mount Ebott, because despite being eager to make it to the surface, they didn’t seem to want to face humankind so soon. Frisk couldn’t hold that against them. Even without factoring in the bloody (or dusty she should probably say…) history between Monsters and humans, she knew far too well that not every human was as kind as herself or Steven.

The other Monsters on the other had were rather intrigued by the notion of living next to a city by the beach, with humans. The younger Monsters had never seen the ocean before, and they were eager to get to know humans because of their good experiences with Frisk. This created an interesting problem. While the citizens of Beach City didn’t seem to mind Monsters in general, especially because of Steven’s good word, having a whole bunch of them immigrate into their small town was bond to make a few uneasy. The Monsters had to be careful to not step on too many of the humans’ toes during the migration.

Therefore, Toriel and Asgore decided that it would be best if the two of them split up. Asgore would stay behind with the Monsters in the Underground and around Mount Ebott and make sure that the Monsters there would settle in without any hindrance. Toriel would go to Beach City and watch over the Monsters to make sure that there wouldn’t be any tension between them and the townsfolk.

Frisk was not very fond of this plan. On paper, it made perfect sense. Both Toriel and Asgore were well regarded among the Monsters, so if they wanted to curb any grievances that were bound to show up, it would best if a member of the Royal family was accessible at all times. However, Toriel wanted to bring Frisk, Lucas, and Kumatora with her to Beach City, which meant that Asgore would be left all alone in the Underground because all of the other Monsters close to him (Undyne, Alphys, Sans(?)) were moving to Beach City. It wasn’t that Frisk didn’t want to leave with Toriel; it was that Frisk knew that despite their rocky start, Asgore was very fond of her and the two mages, and he desperately wanted to be a father again.  Frisk was painfully aware that Asgore was terribly lonely and depressed under his cheerful exterior. It was something that she related to far too well, and honestly, given how things ended a few other times she had met him, she wasn’t sure if she trusted his emotional state to leave him alone.

Frisk wasn’t alone in this opinion. When the two goat Monsters told them the news, Lucas frowned. “What about you?” he asked Asgore. “You’ll be all alone…”

“I’ll be fine, little one.” Asgore replied with a smile on his face. He was obviously trying not to worry him and Frisk.

“Can we at least come see you when we want to?” Lucas asked.

Toriel cringed when he said that. “Child… he’s going to be busy, and we live in another town. It’s going to be hard…”

Frisk was starting to wonder if Toriel had devised this plan with the fact that they wouldn’t be able to visit that often in mind. Frisk knew that she would still be angry at Asgore, and she could understand why, but the fact that she was pulling moves like this the moment they separated was uncalled for. It seemed that Frisk was going to have to intervene.

“We can make something work!” Frisk said. “We’re not that far away, and I’m sure that Undyne or Sans will be willing to take us between the cities if both of you are busy.”

Asgore’s eyes lit up at that. “Sans can teleport.” He said. “It should be no trouble for him to bring you between the towns.”

Toriel and Kumatora raised their eyebrows at Asgore accusingly.  “He can teleport?” Kumatora asked.  “Sans… that lazy, annoying ass pile of bones…can teleport?”

“Indeed!” Asgore replied. “In fact, I recruited him into his position as a guard for that very reason, because he could warp between posts as quickly as needed. It should be no trouble for him to bring you children between the city and Mount Ebott.”

“I don’t think we should bother Sans like that.” Toriel sternly, as if she already made up her mind that this wasn’t happening. Asgore frowned at her, but luckily, Frisk was ready for that one.

“Let’s ask him right now.” Frisk said, pulling out the phone that Alphys had given her in the Underground. She clicked Sans’ contact on her phone and put the phone to her ear as the phone beeped. After a moment, Frisk heard a click on the other side of the line.

“hello?” Sans said.

“Hey Sans.” Frisk said. “I know you’re busy with moving your house from Snowdin, but I have something important I need to ask you.”

“shoot, kid”

“If Toriel was to move to Beach City and Asgore was to stay in the Underground, would you be willing to teleport me, Lucas, and Kumatora between the two towns when we wanted to visit Asgore?”

Frisk heard Sans take a breath on the other end of the line, as if he was thinking. “well kid, I _could_ … but i’ll have to get your parents’ permission before i agree. i’m also gonna need a schedule, so i can set my time properly.”

Frisk couldn’t stop the amused snort she gave. “‘Set your time?’ Implying you actually do something besides sleep all day?”

Sans laughed at the other end of the line, causing Frisk to laugh as well. “kid, when ya put effort into bein this lazy, ya gotta know how to set your time. know what things ya just skip, ya know?”

“I’ll put you on speaker, Sans. My parents are right here.” With that, Frisk pressed a button and turned her phone to face her parents.

“hey, tori. hey, your majesty.” Sans said. “ya hear me okay?”

“I can hear you fine, Sans.” Asgore said. “And please, call me Asgore.”

Sans laughed again. “If you’re being so casual, maybe I should just call ya gorey. anyway… so i hear the kids want me to hire me for my teleportation services. ya two fine with that?”

“Fine by me!” Asgore said heartily. He looked at Toriel. “What about you, Tori?”

“Don’t ‘Tori’ me, Dreemurr.” Toriel growled, making Asgore and the children flinch. He turned to the phone. “Sans, thank you for the offer, but I don’t want to intrude on you…”

“tori, it’s no trouble at all.” Sans said. “hold on a sec…let me show ya somethin…” Suddenly, Frisk heard a bizarre whirring sound at the end of line.

“What the…”?” Frisk said, looking down at the phone. Did they get cut off…?

A finger tapped her on the shoulder. Frisk turned, and standing behind her, with a huge grin on his face, was Sans. “heya.” the skeleton said.

Everyone except Frisk and Asgore jumped. The skeleton looked between everyone. “nice to see ya, everyone.”

“It is good to see you as well, Sans.” Asgore said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Tell us. How long did that teleportation take you?”

“two seconds at most.” Sans said, the grin on his face getting bigger. He looked at Toriel, who looked positively stunned. “it’ll be no trouble taking the kids, tori. ya don’t have to worry about me.”

Toriel was dumbfounded. “But…” she looked at Lucas and Kumatora, seeming desperate. “Children, do you even want to go? Do you really want to go through the stress of going between two homes constantly?”

Frisk felt a pang of exasperation. Was she really so desperate to keep them away from Asgore that she was going ask questions that she knew the answers to? And try frame the questions in a way to discourage them?

“If it won’t cause too much trouble, I want to visit.” Lucas said. “I mean… I want to live with you…but I want see Mr. Asgore too…”

“Yeah!” Kumatora cried. “Let’s not leave Goat Dad alone, huh?”

Asgore laughed at her. “‘Goat Dad?’”

“Well, you’re a goat, and you’re our dad. So… ‘Goat Dad.’”

“Child…” Toriel sighed. “Please…”

“welp.” Sans said. “you guys don’t seem to have a problem. when do you want to do this thing?”

“Children…” Toriel protested.

“How about this?” Frisk asked, knowing she was cutting her off. “We stay at Mom’s from Sundays to Tuesdays, then stay at Dad’s from Wednesdays to Fridays, and then alternate between the two on Saturdays? That way we spend equal amounts of time with both.”

“That’s perfect!” Lucas said, giving a small, shy smile.

“Fine by me!” Kumatora replied, also smiling as she said so.

“But…” Toriel protested again.

“So what do you say, Mom and Dad?” Frisk said, trying to give the brightest, happiest smile she could. “Sans will take us between the towns at around six o’clock on those days?”

“It’s fine by me!” Asgore replied, the glee in his voice making Frisk’s smile earnest. He turned to Toriel, who was looking very uncomfortable with this conversation.

“I….” she hestitated. “I…” Toriel looked at her Lucas and Kumatora, and then to Frisk. Frisk tried to do the things that she’d seen little kids and dogs do and beg with a look in her eyes.

_Please Mom. I know he’s done some bad things. I know he’s hurt you personally. But he’s not a bad person. Please…just let us do this…_

Toriel sighed. “Okay, children. If it’s what you want, I’ll allow it…”

“Yay!” Frisk cheered.

“Yes!” Kumatora whooped, jumping and pumping her fist into the air. Lucas didn’t make any noise, but he gave that shy little smile he made when he was genuinely happy.

“Asgore.” Toriel said sternly, grabbing the King by the shoulder. “Can we talk for a moment? Alone?”

Asgore’s face fell, his smile becoming a nervous frown. “Ye-yes, Toriel.” He stammered. With that, Toriel pulled him off away from the group, bringing him around the corner of the hotel.

Sans smile faltered. “oh, geez.” He muttered, sadly.

“The hell was that?” Kumatora cried.

“It’s…nothing,” Frisk said. It was a lie of course, but Frisk _really_ didn’t want to explain the truly screwed up situation to the kids. At least…not alone.

“Bullshit.” Kumatora retorted. “Goat Mom’s been acting like a bitch ever since Goat Dad got here.”

“Come to think of it…” Lucas said, with a frown. “She gets like that _every_ time Mr. Asgore is nearby. I know they divorced, but…”

“Guys, don’t worry about it.” Frisk said. She didn’t want the two of them to get involved in the two Monster’s personal business. They didn’t know anything about the situation, and if they got involved, they might make things worse…

“Well, I’m worryin about it.” Kumatora said with a glare. “Why is Goat Mom being such a Goat _Bitch_?”

“Is…is this because of what I said that other night?” Lucas asked. He looked depressed as he said that, as if what was going on was his fault.

“No, no!” Frisk cried. Frisk never wanted anyone she knew to feel sad to begin with, but for some reason, these instincts magnified when she was around Lucas. She had barely known the boy for an hour, but when she saw Lucas cry in Asgore’s arms, her heart had broken several times. She didn’t want Lucas to be in that situation again, especially if it was over something that wasn’t his fault to begin with.

“kid…” Sans said, putting a hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “it’s not you. it’s them.”

“But why are they acting like this?” Lucas asked, his eyes full of sadness. “They were getting along well until I asked if they were married. If they divorced, something really bad must have happened… and I think I made them remember the reason they split up…”

“kid…” Sans sighed, warily. “you’re not wrong, but it’s not your fault. you couldn’t have known about their situation.”

“And what exactly is their situation?” Kumatora asked, raising her eyebrow as she did so.

The lights in Sans’ eyes brightened a bit, before he closed them with a sigh. “girl,  i’ve known both toriel and asgore for a long time and they’re both good friends of mine.  but it’s not my place to talk about their personal business.”

“That doesn’t exactly make us feel better, Fatty Bones.” Kumatora retorted.

Sans sighed again, shifted his eyes back and forth, and then leaned in toward the children a bit. “look kid. the best that i can give ya is that a long time ago, asgore did something…bad.”

“Bad?” Lucas gasped, shocked.

“Goat Dad?” Kumatora said doubtfully, crossing her arms over her chest. “That big fuzzy pushover of a Monster? _He_ did something so bad that _Toriel_ hates his guts?”

Frisk could understand their disbelief. Even though she had known what he had done before she meant him, she still found it hard to believe that someone as gentle and loving as Asgore was capable of harming anyone.

“well, it was a little more complicated than that.” Sans replied, turning his head down to the ground. He seemed very uncomfortable talking about this, which Frisk could definitely understand. “king asgore had good intentions, and honestly, if ya look at it from a certain point of view, ya could say he was doin the right thing. i certainly did. the issue was, doin the thing he needed to do required him to do somethin bad. and toriel didn’t like that. so she left him while he did the thing he thought needed to be done. he felt really bad about what he did, and he still feels horrible now… but the problem is what he did hurt toriel very personally, so she’s understandably angry at him…” The skeleton looked off to the side in an almost…annoyed fashion. “even though there were probably a million things she could have done to prevent what happened…” Sans muttered.

Kumatora blinked. “So Toriel’s just a bitch, then?”

“no, she’s not.” Sans said. “she’s a good person, and her reasons for her anger are understandable. but she’s forgotten was that the situation was complicated. that asgore himself didn’t want to do it and that he’s not a bad guy. and, most importantly, that she ain’t a saint either. she didn’t handle the situation in a way that helped anyone.”

“Huh.” Lucas said. “That sounds pretty…messy…”

Sans gave a little smile. “ya got that right, kid.”

“Anything else you can tell us?” Kumatora asked.

“sorry kid.” Sans said with a mischievous grin. “ya wanna know more, ask the mama and papa goats themselves.”

“Yeah, right.” Kumatora groaned. “Like they’re gonna tell us _shit_.”

“ya won’t know unless ya ask, sweetheart.” Sans replied in a teasing manner.

“Please don’t!” Frisk cried suddenly, grabbing Lucas and Kumatora’s arms as she did so. They could _not_ find out about Toriel and Asgore’s past so soon! Not before they got to know them first! They’ll assume the worst, and that might destroy any chance for a healthy relationship!

“Why not?” Kumatora demanded with a glare.

“Because…” Frisk said, hesitated. What could she say that would satisfy the both of them? What could she say that would stop them from asking questions…?

“Because…” Frisk began, going with the first thing that came to her mind that she didn’t think was too suspect. “Asking them questions will cause them to remember what happened. That will make them fight, and they’re relationship won’t get any better. You saw how Mom acted when Lucas just asked if they were married. If you ask too many questions, they might not want to have anything to do with each other, and we won’t be able to live with the both of them.”

“Oh.” Kumatora said. “I hadn’t thought of that…” She looked down at the ground, thinking, and then she looked back up at Frisk. “But they’re gonna have to talk about what happened _eventually_ if they’re gonna get closer! And I still wanna know what happened…!”

Frisk sighed. For how rude and reckless she was, Kumatora was a lot smarter than she let on.

 “Okay, let’s do this.” Frisk declared, gripping Kumatora and Lucas’s hands with her own. “We won’t ask Toriel or Asgore any questions about their marriage or what Asgore has done. We’ll wait until they’re relationship has stabilized, and they aren’t fighting anymore. Then, we’ll ask them, okay? By then, they’ll probably be comfortable enough to talk about it with us, and then they can talk about it with each other and move past it. Then, things can get better between them.”

Kumatora blinked, and Frisk could see the gears turning behind her eyes. Then, Kumatora sighed. “All right, Frisk. I’ll shut my mouth for now…” Suddenly, Kumatora pointed at Frisk harshly. “But when the time comes, I’m going to ask for answers.”

Frisk smiled at her.  “Just wait until I give the word, okay?”

“Deal.” Kumatora replied with a shake of her head.

“Lucas?” Frisk asked, turning to the blonde. He had gone quiet, and he was looking to the ground in a pensive manner.

“Oh…” Lucas mumbled. “Okay.” He paused, and then asked, “Do you think Ms. Toriel and Mr. Asgore will be alright?”

Frisk looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… do you think they’ll work something out? Do you think they’ll be able forgive each other over what happened?”

Frisk blinked. The look on Lucas’s face… it was almost like he was begging her to say yes…

“I’m sure they will.” Frisk replied, as cheerfully as she could. “Mom’s a bit stubborn, but she’s a soft person underneath it all. She’ll have to let it go eventually.”

**_Especially since SHE JUST LET IT HAPPEN!!!!_ **

_Shut up._

Lucas blinked, and then gave that shy smile again. “I guess your right….” Lucas paused for a moment, and then started talking again. “I just want them both to be happy. I know I probably shouldn’t be talking, since I just met them a week ago… but they’re both wonderful people…. They’ve both gone through so much because of humans. After all they’ve gone through… they both deserve to be happy…”

Frisk found herself staring at Lucas. He wasn’t wrong when he had said he just met them a week ago. That wasn’t a lot of time to really grow to care about someone, or say they’re wonderful people. True, Frisk hadn’t known Asgore and Toriel for much longer, but she had the excuse that she met them many times before this timeline. Lucas… This boy had literally just met his new parents a week ago, and yet he seems really care for them. Lucas had lost his memory, lost everything that made him who he was, and was thrown into a complex situation with people he knew little about. And yet he was so…nice. It reminded Frisk of Steven. And of herself. And… _him_.

Frisk felt the smile on her face grow. Something told her she was going to love this boy, just like she did with Steven. “I couldn’t have said it better myself, Lucas.” Frisk said.

“Who knows?” Kumatora replied cheerfully, getting in between Frisk and Lucas and wrapping her arms around their shoulders. “Maybe if we’re lucky, they’ll realize how stupid they’re being, and they’ll marry each other again.”

The logical part of Frisk’s brain told her to rebuke her. That it was impossible. That even if it was possible, Asgore and Toriel were too damaged to work together anymore. But…the thought of Toriel and Asgore working through their issues… the thought of them even after thousands of years of pain and loss, they still loved each other…the thought of Toriel forgiving Asgore even after all he done, even after thousands of years of anger and resentment… the thought of the two of them, living together in the same house, raising Frisk, Lucas, and Kumatora like a family…

No matter how unrealistic it seemed… no matter how much of a long shot it looked like… Frisk couldn’t help but feel…warm and light at the thought.

“Yeah.” Frisk replied, cheerfully.” “Maybe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that got uncomfortable. If any of you readers have played Undertale or know the story... you know exactly why Toriel is acting the way she is. If you think she's portrayed too mean, keep in mind that 1. I'm treating the situation realistically and no matter what, Toriel wouldn't instantly forgive Asgore. 2. Despite her good qualities, she does have flaws. I'm trying to avoid what most Undertale fics do and portray Toriel as this perfect mother who can do no wrong and portray Asgore as this awful guy. That's boring and honestly, not congruent to their canon personalities. In my point of view, both Asgore and Toriel are good people who were put through a horrible situation and did what they thought was best, and BOTH OF THEM mishandled it because of their grief and emotional issues. That's what I hope will come across in the fic.  
> One last thing... there's going to be a change of schedule. Due to school and my other obligations taking up my time and how long it takes to right a chapter of decent quality, I think I'm going to have to expand my upload times to every other Saturday. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, but I want to make sure these chapters are good. I hope you guys understand...


	7. Steven's Beach City Tour (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is preparing for the big move. When the moment arrives, Steven decides to take his new friends on a little tour....  
> No crying until the end, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry this was late! This December has been an awkward month for me, as I had to deal with the end of the school semester and Christmas break. Now, I'm moving houses and the semester has come... Still, I'm going to my best to update every week from now on. Please forgive me if I'm a little late. I'm terrible at pacing myself...

Steven could hardly contain his excitement as he rushed to pack his backpack. He could still hardly believe what had been announced. Monsters… Bona fide, magical Monsters… They were going to live in Beach City! To _his_ city! The few Monsters he had already met were amazing enough, but the thought of hundreds of Monsters coming to live beside his human friends and the Crystal Gems filled him with so much glee! What sort of people would he meet? How would they change things around here? The sheer amount of possibilities that could arise from this situation made him shake.

As Steven stuffed one last knick-knack into his pack and zipped it up, he looked down at the beach under his house. It had been a rather long process getting the government to agree to this. Not that Steven really did much besides occasionally talk, but he still had attended to every meeting with the Gems and the Monsters to support them. As a result, he was there to witness every single word, every single glare, every single excuse his government had given to try and deny the Monsters some space on the Surface. There were even protestors who had the nerve to throw rocks at his new friends and scream at them! Steven just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. The Monsters were just the nicest people, and they could do things that he couldn’t even imagine the Gems doing. Whatever war that happened between the two races had already happened millennia ago. Everyone just needed to move on and get along a best as they could. Was that really so hard?

Granted, it wasn’t like the government didn’t have legitimate concerns. According to the Dreemurr family, there were thousands of Monsters, and it was going to be challenging finding places for all of them. On top of that, they had to manage the humans that wanted to harm the Monsters, and make a guarantee that the Monsters wouldn’t harm humans.

As much as Steven looked at the positive, there was a small part of him that couldn’t help but be concerned because of the tension he was feeling.  Steven knew the residents of Beach City very well. They were almost like a huge extended family to him. However, they could be a bit…uneasy when it came to new things. This caused quite a few problems when the magical affairs of the Gems ended up interfering with the citizens’ lives. Honestly, sometimes Steven got the impression that the Gems live so far the city because they didn’t want to have deal with the citizens. And sometimes, like whenever Mr. Pizza yelled about his restaurant sign being broken, or the time the Gems destroyed the arcade, Steven couldn’t exactly blame the Gems.

If the citizens of Beach City acted like that with the Gems, who they had lived with for years, then how were they going to act with hundreds of Monsters, who were eager to live their lives on the surface and had suffered so much? What if it turned out the citizens hated the Monsters? What if the Monsters held a grudge over what happened to them? What if there was an accident? What if…

Steven shook his head. No. He couldn’t get distracted by the bad things that _might_ happen. No one knew exactly what would happen. The Monsters were coming, and that was that. They couldn’t stay in their Underground prison. It was like King Asgore and Garnet said. It was a new beginning, and it was up to them to make sure things were peaceful. If they worked hard…then things would turn out better than he ever imagined.

Steven smiled, gripping the gemstone embedded in his stomach. Humans could get used to anything, if given time and help. Steven would help them. He would help Monsters, Gems, and humans understand each other, and make everyone happy. He would protect everyone. He was a Crystal Gem after all. And it wasn’t like he was going to be alone. He had Garnet and Amethyst and Pearl by his side. He had his father.

And now, he had new friends… Frisk…Lucas… Kumatora… the King and the Queen… Undyne…Papyrus…Sans…

Steven opened the door, his smile bigger than ever in the bright morning sun, and ran down to the beach, toward the city. He was looking forward to getting to know those wonderful new people. He was looking forward to helping the people of Beach City and the Monsters understand each other.

Today was going to be great.

…..

The moving truck had arrived early on the day Frisk and her new family moved to Beach City. It had taken less than a day to pack up all of Toriel’s belongings in the Underground, since the rest of Frisk’s friends helped her pack. Toriel had honestly been stunned when that had happened. She barely knew Undyne, Alphys, or Papyrus, and yet they seemed happy to aid her. It warmed Frisk’s heart to see Toriel’s eyes light up when they offered, though when Asgore offered, Toriel unsurprisingly refused his help.

For some reason, Toriel had been adamant to not let Lucas and Kumatora go into the Underground with the rest of them. At first, Frisk was rather confused by this decision, but when Lucas asked to go with, and then asked why they couldn’t go, Frisk remembered that both children were amnesiacs with a lot of curiosity. If they went, they would ask questions…and that would probably bring up a lot of bad memories and uncomfortable situations. Toriel simply was not ready to deal with that emotional baggage, so she really didn’t want to bring Lucas and Kumatora with her. Which, by extension, meant Frisk couldn’t go and help her move. Frisk didn’t necessarily like it…but she could understand Toriel’s reasoning. So the entire day Toriel was packing, Frisk and her new siblings stayed with Sans at the hotel.

Frisk hadn’t been surprised when Sans chose to stay behind instead of helping Papyrus pack Toriel’s house. Despite being friends with her, Sans was still incredibly lazy, and with all the effort that was going to be involved with moving his own house, he wanted to be lazy while he could. Honestly, Frisk couldn’t complain. The skeleton was pleasant company, and he pretty much let the children do whatever they wanted for the entire time.

During the last thirty minutes, Sans decided to go out and “try some human food.”

“you guess haven’t eaten much.” Sans said. “ya wanna go with me and get a snack?”

“Sure!” Kumatora replied eagerly. “It’ll give us an excuse to get out of this oversized box!”

“There’s an ice cream shop on the other side of the street.” Frisk offered. “We can go there, if you guys want.”

“I won’t mind.” Lucas said.

“alright then.” Sans said causally. “let’s go.”

They went to the shop across the street. However, something was…off. Frisk saw the people getting tense. The closer they got, the tenser they grew, until finally Sans opened the door.

The moment he did this, there was a scream.

Frisk jumped. Her head veered in the direction of the shriek, and she saw a woman, trembling in the corner of the room, her eyes wide in fear. Frisk looked right and left, looking for a reason for the shriek. All she saw were other customers, who didn’t seem to have anything out of the ordinary about them. Except… they were all looking at Sans. Some of them were gaping, some of them were glaring, some of them seemed to be in wonder, but all of them had that same bit of fear in their eyes, and it was directed right at Sans.

“What… what is that?” Frisk heard the woman in the corner cry.

There was a commotion among the customers. “I saw it on the news…” someone whispered.

“It’s one of those Monsters…” another one whispered.

“What’s it doing in a place like this...?” another asked his friend.

Sans walked to the counter at the end of the store without a care in the world. It was like he didn’t even notice the humans glaring at him. Frisk followed him, doing her best to ignore the hostility and fear like Sans was.

_Why? Why are they acting like this? He’s done nothing to them…_

“sup.” Sans said to the gaping casher, with an ear to ear grin on his skeletal face.

“Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….” The casher went, his gape getting larger.

Sans blinked, the lights in his eyes flickering. “what?” the skeleton asked casually. “somethin in my teeth?”

The skeleton’s humor was not appreciated by the shopkeeper, who’s gape turned into a glare. Frisk heard the shuffling of feet behind her, and she turned her head to see the woman who shrieked and a few other people ran out of the shop.

“What do you want?” the shopkeeper growled.

“well…” Sans said… “considering that I came into your shop… that sells only ice cream… i gotta say…” Sans paused for a second before finishing with, “that i’m here for hot soup.”

The shopkeeper gave a grunt of frustration, his eyes shifting to the two customers that were running from the shop like it was on fire.

“If you’re not here to buy ice cream, get out.” The shopkeeper snarled.

“woah, boy.” Sans replied, the casual tone in his voice not changing in the slightest. “no need for that tone. your ice cream is probably cold enough as it is.”

“You…!”

Frisk rushed in between them. She had to stop this before the situation got out of hand. “We’ll have two vanillas, please!”

“And a chocolate!” Lucas frantically added, running next to Frisk.

“Strawberry.” Kumatora said bluntly, walking to the counter with her arms crossed, glaring back at the humans who were glaring at Sans.

With an angry grunt, the shopkeeper filled their orders. As he was scooping out the ice cream, he’d shoot a glare at Sans every so often, but Sans kept grinning as if he didn’t see it.

“Here’s your order” the shopkeeper said curtly as he placed the four cups of ice cream on the counter.

“Thanks.” Frisk said, trying to be polite as everyone took their cups.

“yeah, thanks.” Sans said.

“What are you gonna even use this for?” the shopkeeper asked Sans.

“the same thing I hope most people would use it for.” Sans replied.

“How?” the shopkeeper demanded. “You can’t eat!”

“i have a mouth, don’t i?” Sans said.

“But you’re…you’re…!”

“a skeleton?” Sans asked.

“Yes!” The shopkeeper cried, utterly baffled.

“a magician never reveals his secrets.” Sans said. The skeleton reached into his pocket and pulled out a single gold coin. “i think this will cover the expense” he said, placing the coin on the counter.

The shopkeeper grabbed the coin as Sans turned to leave. “Wait a minute!” he cried. “Your money’s no good here! This is America…” The shopkeeper’s eyes went down on the coin, and his eyes widened. “Wait…is this…gold?”

“ya comin, kids?” Sans said, opening the door.

“Ummm…” Lucas went, looking utterly confused.

“Coming Sans!” Frisk cried, grabbing Lucas’s free hand with own a running out the door. Lucas gave her a bewildered look as she did so. Frisk could exactly blame the kid, but right now, she just wanted to get out of this awkward situation.

…..

“What the hell was that?!” Kumatora growled as the group walked toward back to the hotel.

“humans bein humans” Sans replied. Though the skeleton was still smiling, the tone in his voice had become darker, and the casualness from before was completely gone.

“No!” Kumatora yelled. “Those were assholes being assholes! We didn’t _do_ anything thing to them!”

“They were just scared…” Frisk said. “They haven’t seen a Monster in person before. They didn’t know any better…”

“That doesn’t mean they get to treat Monsters like shit!” Kumatora cried. “Fatty Bones didn’t do _anything_ to them! He just wanted some damn ice cream! And yet just because he looked a little different, they kicked him out!”

Sans chuckled darkly at that. “to be fair kid, a walking pile of bones is a tad more than ‘a little strange.’ specially to folks who are used to having skeletons inside ‘em only.”

“But it’s so unfair! Don’t you even care?”

Sans turned his head to look at the pink-haired girl. “well… i can hardly call it the most pleasant of experiences.”

“Then why didn’t you do something about it?”

Sans stopped in his tracks, turning around to face the children. The grin on his face had fallen significantly, though it hadn’t entirely left. “kid, what did you honestly expect me to do?” he asked, with no trace of levity in his voice. “yell at him? hit him? threaten him with my magic? do you think that it would have made things better if I did any of those things?”

“It would have been better than doing nothing and just rolling over like a whipped dog!” Kumatora retorted.

The lights in Sans’s eye sockets flickered, and Frisk saw his hand twitch.

“But Kumatora…” Frisk cut in, hoping to stop the two from fighting. “If he done any of those things, the store owner would have thrown him out for sure. And he would have called the cops, and then Sans would have been arrested. And that would have hurt the chances of humans and Monsters finding peace with each other.”

Kumatora blinked her, as if realizing something. “But…”

“All of those scared people in there were scared that he would hurt them.” Frisk said. “Do you really think it would make them feel better about him if he threatened to hut someone?”

Kumatora blinked again, and then sighed. “You’re right.” She said, resigned. “But… did we really have to just sit there and do nothing…”

“oh, i didn’t do ‘nothing’ kid.” Sans said, the smile on his face widening, his voice becoming more humorous. “i went in there, I joked with the shopkeeper, got some hilarious reactions from the humans there, and I simply ignored them.” Sans raised the cup of ice cream up to Kumatora’s eyes. “and I still got an ice cream out of it.”

“But…” Lucas said, his voice quiet, as if sad. “What if they aren’t the only ones who’ll be this way? What if there are more people how are going to be scared of you?”

Sans chuckled again. “same thing, kid. I can’t control how they’ll act, but I can control myself. if i hit back, i won’t be any better than them, and i’ll just be proving their fears bout us monsters. but if i behave myself, they’ll might see us monsters aren’t so bad.”

“And what if they don’t?” Kumatora asked. “What then?”

Sans looked at Kumatora, and then sighed. “then i guess i can’t then.”

“That doesn’t sound reassuring, Fatty Bones.”

“They’ll come around eventually.” Frisk said.

“What makes you so sure?” Lucas asked, with a gloom expression on his face.

Frisk hesitated. Honestly…she wasn’t sure. True, she had agreed to this job in the hopes of securing peace, and she had even helped made some progress by getting the Monsters homes. But the way those people treated Sans… The way they feared him just because of his strange appearance… The way they hated him… What was she going to do if more people hated Monsters? Could she really hope to change their minds…? Could she really make peace between them…?

**_Running from the truth again?_ **

_No._

Frisk was filled with determination. No matter how unlikely it seemed, no matter how much she had to suffer, she was going to make a world where humans and Monsters lived in peace. She had to. For everyone’s sake. And for _his…_

“They have to.” Frisk said.

….

By the time they had got back to the hotel, Toriel had come back with a car and the loaded moving truck.

“yo!” Sans called as they came up to the truck. “tori!”

Toriel turned to face the group, with a huge smile on her face. “Children!” she called back. “I was just about to search for you! Come here!”

Frisk could practically feel the excitement ringing in Toriel’s voice as they walked towards her. She also noticed that Toriel had changed her clothes from the regal robes she had worn in the Underground. Now, she had dressed herself in a blue dress, with turquoise diamonds patterned near the hem. “We’ve done it!” the goat woman said, giving a little clap of her paws. “Everything we needed is packed! All that’s left is to is move all of our belongings to the land I purchased in Beach City!”

“Wow!” Frisk said, smiling at her mother’s infectious joy. “You really managed to pack all of that in less than two hours!”

Toriel laughed merrily, bringing a pleasant warmth in Frisk’s chest. “Well, Frisk, moving and organizing objects is a simple matter when you have helpers with blue magic!”

“yeah.” Sans replied with a grin. “ya could almost say it’s a… _snap_!” At the last word, he snapped his fingers, a blue glow swirling around them.

“Oh, ho-ho-ho-ho!” Toriel laughed in response at the skeleton’s pun. Frisk smiled at her mother laughing, even as Kumatora groaned. After that incident in the ice cream shop, it was great to see someone she loved happy.

“so…” Sans said. “when y’all are gonna hit the beach?”

“Now, actually.” Toriel said. “That’s assuming… children… have you prepared to leave like I told you?”

“Yes Ms. Toriel” Lucas replied. “We did it as soon as you told us… Though I had to beg Kumatora to pack her bag.”

“I only had like seven sets of clothes!” Kumatora groaned. “It would have taken two seconds!”

“You would have waited until the last minute.” Toriel said.

Kumatora shrugged. “So?”

“Then you would have made us wait for you to leave” Lucas clarified.

Kumatora blinked. “Oh.” She replied in defeat.

“Thank you for being responsible, Lucas.” Toriel said warmly, raffling the boy’s hair as she said so.

“Oh!” Lucas piped, blushing as he looked down to the ground with a shy little smile. “Thank you, Miss.”

“Let’s go get the bags.” Frisk said. Talking was good, but she was eager get to her new home with her friends. Maybe then…she could leave the worst behind her.

“There’s no need.” called a familiar, deep, but pleasantly warm voice.

Frisk turned, and, walking toward the truck from the hotel, was Asgore. He wasn’t wearing his armor, instead settling for a large pair of jeans and a pink button up shirt with yellow floral patterns on it. In his right hand was three suitcases, all being carried as if they were nothing.

“Dad!” Frisk called, smiling at the sight of her new father.

Lucas looked up from the ground at Frisk’s call. “Mr. Asgore!”

“hey, gorey!” Sans said as the goat man came to the truck. “whatcha doin back here?”

“Oh, I just came to see the children off.” Asgore replied, placing the suitcases on the ground.

“Don’t you have business back at Mount Ebott?” Toriel asked curtly.

Asgore blinked at her. “Yes, but I had to get the things that I had left in the hotel. Since I was coming here, I thought I’d see how the children were doing.”

_Well… us and Toriel._

“Huh.” Toriel grunted. “That’s… a reasonable excuse.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Frisk saw Kumatora glared at Toriel. Frisk looked back at Toriel and gave the best disapproving stare she could.

Toriel caught them. “What?” she asked.

Asgore coughed into his hand. “So, are you about to leave, Toriel?”

“Yes, Asgore.” Toriel said. “We need to get going soon if we are to make it in time to make the house.”

Frisk blinked at her. “Make the house? You mean… it hasn’t built yet?”

“No, Frisk. I only bought a plot of land _for_ the house. Once we arrive, we need to build it ourselves.”

“Then…” Lucas, his eyes wide in concern. “Where will we sleep?”

Toriel smiled, her crimson eyes twinkling a bit. “As I said, Lucas. Manipulating matter is a simple matter with magic. Especially if you bought the materials and have help, like me.”

“still…” Sans said. “y’all should probably get goin if ya want to get it built in time.”

“Yes, we should.” Toriel said. “Where will you be going now, Sans?”

Sans shrugged. “guess I’ll head home. paps is probably in a rush to pack the house…” Sans chuckled at that. “god help him when he gets to my room…”

“So you’ll be joining us at Beach City?” Toriel asked.

“yeah.” Sans answered. Then , with a wink, he added “i’ll _sea_ you there.”

Toriel laughed again. “It was…ha, ha…great _seaing_ you again, Funny Bones.”

Sans chuckled. “you too, goatmom.”

Toriel stopped laughing immediately. “What did you just call me?” she demanded.

“welp, gotta go!” Sans quickly said. “ _sea_ you all later!” With a snap of his fingers and a wink, Sans vanished in a flash of blue light.

Toriel glared at Kumatora “Do you see what you’ve started, young lady?”

“I’m more disgusted by the fact he just used the same pun twice.” Kumatora deadpanned.

“That’s Sans for you.” Asgore said.

“Indeed” Toriel said with a sigh. “Come now, children. It’s time to leave.”

“Okay, Mom.” Frisk said. Then, she turned her attention to Asgore. “So… will you be alright in the Underground on your own?”

Asgore blinked, as if surprised by her question. Then, he smiled. “Thank you for your concern, Frisk. I’ll be alright. The Monsters staying by the mountain are old and stubborn, but they know me well. We’ll be able to manage on our own. We still need to give our settlement a name though… I was thinking… ‘Ebott.’”

Frisk blinked. “You mean after the mountain that you’re right next to?”

“That’s boring.” Kumatora said bluntly.

“I know.” Asgore sighed, looking down at the ground in embarrassment. “But the council didn’t like the other name I had…”

“Which was that?” Lucas asked.

“Monster Town.’” Asgore answered.

“Wow.” Kumatora said. “You suck at names.”

“He always has.” Toriel said, shaking her head.

“Well…” Asgore said. “Good luck, everyone. I hope you are able to settle in with the humans with little struggle.”

“See ya, Goatdad!” Kumatora said cheerfully with a wave.

“Bye, Mr. Asgore.” Lucas said, bringing up his hand to shake.

Asgore flinched when the boy did this. Lucas blinked, as if wondering if he had done something wrong. When Asgore realized what Lucas wanted, he gingerly took Lucas’s tiny hand in his huge paw and gave it a slow shake. “Goodbye, Lucas. Goodbye, Kumatora.”

Frisk sighed internally. Even without Toriel glaring daggers at him, Asgore was still rather awkward around the children. Whenever any of the three of them went within a few feet of the King, he’d stare at them intently, watching their every move, and his movement would stall ever so slightly, as if he was walking on eggshells. He spoke slowly, occasionally stumbling on his words, twiddling his thumbs as he did so. Whenever he touched any of them, his touches were light and hesitant. It was almost as if he was afraid of breaking them…

It seemed that Frisk needed to get to tell the Goat King to loosen up. To let him know that he won’t hurt them.  With that in mind, Frisk decided to surprise Asgore, leaping up at him suddenly and wrapping her arms around his waist.

Frisk felt Asgore jump a bit in his skin. “Frisk?” he cried, shock in his voice.

Frisk ignored him and tightened her hug a bit. Then, when she let go, she smiled at him. “See you in three days, Dad.”

Asgore looked taken aback for a moment, and then smiled warmly. “Yes… I’ll see you in three days.”

“Let’s go, children.” Toriel called. With that, she went around the car and took her seat next to the driver she had hired.

With one last wave, Frisk and the two mages got into the back seat of the car. As the car started, Frisk looked back to Asgore, who was smiling at them. As the car pulled out of the space, Asgore made a sort of gesture at Frisk, like he miming opening a bag. Then, the car drove out of the lot, with the moving truck following soon after.

“Beach City, right?” the driver asked, strangely unfazed by the fact that an anthropomorphic goat was in his car.

“Correct.” Toriel replied. “I’ll pay you when we arrive.”

Frisk frowned. What did Asgore mean when he made that gesture…? He looked like he was telling her to…

As she thought, Frisk put her hand on her bag. Just then, she felt a bulge. A bulge that definitely was not there before. Curious, Frisk opened her bag.

Stuffed into the top of Frisk’s backpack was bag of cinnamon bunnies. At the top of the pile was a note, written in neat lettering, reading “I hope you have a sweet time in your new home.”

Frisk felt the warmth in her chest return, and she smiled brightly. “Hey guys.” She said. “Look in your bags.”

“Why…?” Kumatora began, but when she saw the cinnamon bunnies that Frisk brought out, she and Lucas immediately opened their bags, finding their own package of pastries.

“Wow…” Lucas said, his blue eyes bright and a smile on his face.

“That dork…” Kumatora said with affection as she read the note on her package.

Frisk looked back down on her lap. She looked in her bag, and then noticed there was another package of cinnamon bunnies in her bag.

“Hey Mom…” Frisk said, pulling the package out. “I think these are for you.”

“Oh…” Toriel said, taking the cinnamon bunnies from her. “Thank you, Frisk.”

“Don’t thank her.” Kumatora said. “Thank the Goatdad who got it for you.”

“He’s rather nice…” Lucas said. “Isn’t he…?”

“Hmmm….” Toriel went, looking down at the cinnamon bunnies in thought.

…

The ride to Beach City went quicker than Lucas had expected. Though Frisk wasn’t much of a talker, Toriel did his best to keep the children occupied, talking about how she planned to lay out the house, how they’d have a fantastic view of the ocean, how they’d have so much room to play and run. Honestly, Lucas couldn’t remember much of what she said, but he was glad that Toriel was trying to get them excited. While a part of him was happy to be moving to new house with Toriel, Lucas was still anxious about moving into an unfamiliar town (even though because of his amnesia, _all_ towns would be unfamiliar). True, he had Kumatora, someone who he was sure was a lifelong friend, and Frisk and Toriel had treated him with nothing but kindness (he couldn’t say the same for Toriel with Asgore…), but he still didn’t know anyone there. How would he fit in in this strange town? Would there be anyone who liked him? What if no one liked him? What if the humans actually hated Monsters like Toriel? What would happen then?  How would people react once they found out he and Kumatora had…magic?

Lucas felt his eyebrows furrow at that word, as he looked down at his hand. On a whim, he focused on the tips of his fingers as hard as he could. For a moment, nothing appeared to happen, so Lucas focused harder. Then, just when it seemed that his head would burst from the strain, a faint, multicolored light started to glow between his fingertips. In his surprise at his success, Lucas almost lost his focus, but he quickly found it before the light disappeared. With some mental effort, Lucas continued to hold the light in his fingers.

Lucas and Kumatora hadn’t been able to learn more about their powers that week. Toriel and Asgore hadn’t had the time to teach them or answer many questions about it. And as much fun that they had with Sans, he and Kumatora weren’t comfortable enough with the skeleton to ask questions like that. Still, they tried to learn what they could on their own, practicing things like lighting candles, making light, or attempting to make some objects float. At first, it was rather frustrating, and they failed their tasks often. Eventually though, something clicked, and they were making cups levitate through the hotel room like they had been doing it all their lives. True, they were small things compared to the amazing things that they had seen Asgore, Sans, and the Gems do, but maybe, with time, they could master their… magic…

That word again. _Magic_. It was… a rather odd word for Lucas. Oh, he believed in it. Even without factoring the things he had seen this week, something deep inside him told him that magic existed, without a doubt. But that word didn’t seem right for Lucas and Kumatora. Or at least… not appropriate for their abilities. It was odd… Lucas just couldn’t put into words why…

“Whoa!”

Lucas turned his head to see Frisk, staring down at his glowing fingers in awe. Lucas flinched in surprise, making the light dissipate.

“Oh!” Frisk cried, flinching back as well, cupping her hands over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to distract you.”

“What’s going on, children?” Toriel asked, turning her head to look at Lucas and Frisk from her seat in the car.

“Nothing Mom.” Frisk quickly said.

“Hmm….” Toriel went, turning back to face the front of the car.

Frisk leaned a bit toward Lucas. “What was that light?” she whispered. “Have you been practicing your magic?”

“Ummm…. Sort of.” Lucas replied. “I wasn’t doing anything bad. I was just making light…”

“Still… that was rather impressive.” Frisk said with a smile. “I wish I could do something like that.”

“Ummm… thanks…?” Lucas said, feeling his cheeks redden at the compliment. He turned to the window, temporally too embarrassed to continue talking about it. “A lot of cars out there…”

He wasn’t making that up. They had passed a lot of cars going into the same direction as them. Just ten minutes before, they had gotten out of a blockade of cars (a “traffic jam” Frisk had called it).

“Look a little closer.” Frisk said.

Lucas looked at the car next to him, squinting. At first, he only saw the human driver, but then Lucas noticed that he looked…uncomfortable. Then, Lucas looked a little up, and then saw that next to the driver was some sort of humanoid dog with white fur. Lucas barely got to see anything more when the car pulled ahead of them.

“A Monster…” Lucas muttered. He looked a few other cars as they passed by. A giant frog riding in the back seat… a massive knight in armor that was so large it dragged down the side of the truck it rested in… tiny airplanes with face that flew themselves to their apparent destination.

“They’re all Monsters…” Lucas said. “They’re all migrating…”

“Indeed.” Toriel replied.

“Aah!” Lucas cried, jumping in his seat. “Y-y-y-you were listening?!”

“I especially liked the part where you showed Frisk a magic trick.” Toriel said with a sly little smile.

“Oh…” Frisk groaned. “Don’t tell me you…”

“You children are going to have to try a little harder if you don’t want this ears of mine to hear you.” Toriel said, wagging her floppy ears with her fingers before stopping. “And to answer your question Lucas…yes, those are Monsters who are migrating from the Underground. Though most of the older Monsters stayed and settled on Ebott, the young ones are quite eager to begin a good relationship with humankind. So they, like us, are going to live in Beach City. The Crystal Gems are going to have quite the surprise.”

“Hmm…” Lucas went. Lucas had almost forgotten about those Crystal Gems. Even though he had seen them attend every Monster-Human meeting on the TV, he and Kumatora never talked to them since the fight at Mount Ebott. Honestly…he didn’t know what to make of them. From what Kumatora and Frisk told him, they weren’t bad people, and they dedicated their lives to protecting the Earth. Still… something about the way they carried themselves…the way Kumatora told him that they treated her like nothing before they learned of her magic…the way they were so quick to start a fight with the Monsters despite not knowing anything about them… Something about them just made Lucas wary.

Well, except that boy Steven. Lucas couldn’t help but smile at the memory of that cheerful boy. He had been the only one of the Gems who gave the Monsters a chance. The only one who tried to make peace first. And when the Monsters told him of their struggle, Steven immediately sympathized with them and wanted to help them. And despite the stressful situation, Steven had been positive and happy all the way through. Even more amazingly, he had healing magic... the same thing that Lucas somehow was able to do. Perhaps, since they were going to live in Beach City, they would see Steven again. Maybe he’d be able to teach Lucas how to use his powers…

“We’re here!” Toriel suddenly cried.

“Freakin finally!” Kumatora cried, as Lucas went looked out the window. The water tower with the words “BEACH CITY” passed by his field of view. Behind the tower, Lucas saw houses and the deep blue sea that lay beyond them.

“Oh…” Toriel gasped. “It’s just as beautiful as the last time I saw it…”

“Yeah…” Kumatora replied. “So…where are we heading?”

“Do you see that big hill with the lighthouse?” Toriel said, pointing. “That’s where the house is going to be.”

Lucas turned to front window to see the huge hill that towered over the city. However, it wasn’t quite the green hill that Lucas had seen a week ago. Construction of streets and houses had begun on the lower half of it, and Lucas could even see the forms of Monsters in the new parts of town.

“Wow…” Frisk said. “Already… you guys are living together…”

“Well, we’re getting there, child.” Toriel said. “We still have a few things to work out with the humans of this town. But for now, let us reach our new home.”

They pulled into the town, and then took a right. Lucas tried to absorb as much as he could of the town as they drove. He saw other children playing among themselves by their houses. He saw some shops and produce market, where people buzzed to try to get what they needed. He saw a group of teenagers talking among themselves at a restaurant they passed. He even saw a few Monsters in the town, though he couldn’t tell if they were getting along with the humans or not. Still, he like what he saw of the town. The sights have him a warm pleasant feeling inside. It felt… rather familiar…

After a few minutes, they made a turn left, and then another. Then, they came to a stop.

“We’re here.” Toriel declared.

…

After Toriel paid for the cab, they took their bags and walked the rest of the way toward their destination. They followed the concrete road that the Monsters were in the middle of constructing up the hill. Lucas was amazed by the sight of the neighborhood. He knew that there were a lot of Monsters sealed away, but he had never seen so many in one place before! And they came in so many shapes and sizes! A giant eye ball with arms and legs and horns lifting bricks to their house… A muscular creature with the upper body of a horse, but had human arms and the lower body of a fish… Walking, talking volcanoes with faces spilling lava to make a road… Giant humanoid dogs holding hammers in their teeth…

“Here we are!” Toriel said when they got to the highest point of the neighborhood, which was halfway up the hill.

Lucas looked ahead of the group. In front of them was a rather large rectangle of concrete. On the side of this were a couple of storage carts that seemed to hold concrete and bricks and other material.

“This…is it?” Kumatora asked, taking a couple glances around.

“Indeed!” Toriel replied with a clap. “So, what do you think?”

“I gotta say… the house looks kind of… not there.” Kumatora said.

Toriel gave a little sigh. “I meant what you thought of the location…”

“This is so weird….” Kumatora said, looking back at the settlement with an uncomfortable expression on her face.

“Hmmm…?” Toriel went, looking concerned.

“D-d-don’t get us wrong, Miss Toriel.” Lucas said, a pit starting to form in his stomach. “This place is beautiful…but….” Lucas turned to look at the Monsters, who were busy constructing the new settlement. The humanoid dog had climbed down from its roof, and was greeting its mate with a few licks in the face. A giant bird standing on its two legs was freezing a huge structure of ice with magic. Another giant walking eyeball was blasting a spot with lights from its eyes…

“We’re so different…” Lucas continued with a sigh. “We’re not like Monsters. And if what you said was true, me and Kumatora aren’t like other humans either. Do… you really think anyone will like us…?”

Toriel frowned slightly. Then, as Lucas turned away, he heard Toriel step towards him. He felt a furry hand ruffle his hair, and when he looked back up, he saw Toriel smiling at him.

“Ok course they will, Lucas.” Toriel said. “Yes, you are different from us Monsters. But look how different just one Monster is from another! Do you really think we would have survive all this time Underground if we hadn’t learned to see past our differences? “

Lucas looked back at the settlement. One of the walking volcanoes had walked past the ice structure the bird was making. The volcanoes heat melted the structure, much to the bird’s annoyance. He started yelling at the volcano, but then the volcano said something to him and he stopped. They nodded at each other, and the volcano suddenly erupted with a boom, making every one in the area jump. The lava spewed from the volcano and fell on the birds’ concrete patch and the bird blasted the lava with a cold wind. The lava hardened into a shining black stone wall.

“It’s not the physical appearance.” Toriel said as Lucas gaped at what just happened. “It’s the soul that truly matters. And from what I’ve seen, you children have lovely souls. So no matter if the person is a human or a Monster, do worry what they’ll think. Just remain your true selves, and people will accept you.”

Lucas felt something warm in his chest. “Do…you really think so?”

“I know so, little one.” Toriel said with a smile. She looked from her concrete pad to all three of the children, and said. “Children, why don’t you go into the city and get to know the area?”

“What?” Frisk cried. “But we have to help build the house!”

Toriel shook her head. “Children, if you are to live here comfortably, you have to go out and get to know the people here. Besides...” Toriel looked down the path they went up. “I _do_ have help.”

Lucas blinked in confusion and turned to look where Toriel was looking. Walking up the path were a trio of white furred humanoid dog Monsters. One was positively gigantic, with a huge upper body, but a comparatively smaller neck and head, dressed in a huge suit of armor. The second dog was quite a bit smaller, and dressed in a sort of kilt and tan tunic. The third dog was the smallest one, about the size of Kumatora, dressed in a pink shirt with a smiling dog face, white pants with black dots, and a black bandanna covering the face.

“Is that… the Snowdin Canine Unit?” Frisk asked.

“Indeed.” Toriel replied, as the trio of dogs approached them. The huge dog and the dog in the tunic stopped, but the small one kept moving, getting very close to Lucas.

“Wait…” Lucas began.

"Doggo, stop!” Frisk shutted, but it was too late. The small dog, Doggo, ran right into Lucas, his skull slamming against Lucas’s.

“OW!” Lucas and Doggo cried, holding their heads.

“Where the hell…?” Doggo literally growled. He looked right at Lucas, his black eyes squinting like he couldn’t see him. “What hit me?”

“Are you blind?” Kumatora cried.

“Yes!” Doggo growled. “Who’s asking?”

“Doggo can’t see anything that’s standing still.” Frisk clarified with a sigh.

“Yeah!” Doggo growled again. “Who are you anyway? We were hired to help out some lady named Toriel…”

“That would be me.” Toriel said, waving her arm as she did so.

“Oh, there you are.” Doggo said. When Toriel stopped waving her arm, the dog frowned. “Wait, where’d ya go?”

“I’m still here, Doggo.” Toriel replied, waving again.

“Oh, there you are! Ya disappeared for a sec.”

“I won’t do it again!” Toriel said, keeping up the motion in her arm so that Doggo could see her.

“So these clowns are gonna help put the house together?” Kumatora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah.” Doggo said, turning his head toward Kumatora’s voice, but not looking at Kumatora. “I’m Doggo… who…where…?”

 Kumatora waved.

“Oh, there ya are! Anyway, the names Doggo… the big dog is Greater Dog, and the smaller one next to me is Lesser Dog.”

Both dogs gave a little yelp at that. The big dog, Greater Dog, started to sniff and pant, and he looked down at Lucas, as if expecting something.

Lucas didn’t know what to do.

“Don’t worry.” Frisk said. “He’s big, but he’s as nice as any other dog.”

“Umm….” Lucas said hesitantly, with a wave. “Hi…”

Greater Dog barked excitedly and bent down, putting his panting face right in front of Lucas’s, making the boy flinch in surprise.

“He just wants attention.” Frisk said. “Just pet him.”

“Umm…” Lucas went. This was a Monster, even if it did look like a dog. Was it really going to be that simple? Still… Lucas didn’t know what else to do, and Frisk seemed trustworthy enough. So, he started to pet the huge dog.

Greater Dog closed its eyes and gave a started to give a little whimper, rubbing up against Lucas’s hand. Lucas blinked. This dog was acting so…friendly despite’s huge size. It was rather…cute. Lucas decided to go a little further and scratch the huge dog’s ear.

The whimpering got louder, and the huge started licked Lucas’s face. Lucas laughed at that, and he wrapped his arms around Greater Dog’s neck. “He’s just a huge marshmallow!”

“I know.” Frisk said. “That was my point.”

Lucas laughed again, petting Greater Dog’s muzzle. Frisk and Toriel were right. He shouldn’t have just assumed things would go wrong because of the differences in appearance. True, the dogs were huge and had magic, but they were as friendly as any other. He just needed to give them a chance, and they’d be his friends.

As Greater Dog gave Lucas a few more licks, something stirred inside Lucas. It felt warm and pleasant and…rather familiar…

“Okay, dog!” Lucas heard Kumatora cry. Lesser Dog had gone over to her, and was licking her face and whimpering for attention. “Calm down! I’ll pet ya! Geez!”

“Okay, boys!” Doggo growled. “Settle down! We need to get to work!”

Immediately, the two large dogs stopped, staring Doggo and Toriel, panting while they did so.

“So, lady.” Doggo said to Toriel, who was still waving her arm. “What’s first on the list?”

“For now, just get the supplies out of the crates.” Toriel said. “I’ll guide you after that.”

“Okay.” Doggo said, turning to the other two dogs. “Y’all heard the lady! Get to it!”

The two dogs barked and bounded off to the crates. Doggo turned to follow…and immediately ran right into Kumatora.

“OW!” Kumatora cried. “BITCH!”

“I am _not_ a girl!” Doggo growled, barring his teeth.

“You wanna go, doggie?” Kumatora growled back, lurching forward and baring her teeth, making Doggo flinch.

 “Stop it!” Toriel said. “Doggo, go do your job!”

 Doggo growled lowly and sulked to the crates.

 Toriel turned to Kumatora. “You could stand to be a little more polite, young lady.”

 “Coming from the woman who treated Goatdad like dogshit on her shoes this morning.” Kumatora said flatly.

“Excuse me?” Toriel asked, her voice low with anger.

“Nothing.” Kumatora wisely replied. “Why’d you get those clowns to build our house?”

“The Snowin Canine Unit have their… eccentricities… but when guided by a _competent_ mind, they can be quite effective.” Toriel said, as the two larger dogs started lifting bricks from the crates.

“Hmmm….” Lucas went. The dogs certainly seemed very friendly, but they didn’t seem that smart. And when you combine that with Doggo’s apparent blindness…

“Don’t worry, children.” Toriel said with a smile. “Me and the Dogs have this. You can go wherever you wish.”

One part of Lucas wanted to stay behind and help Toriel. This was going to be his home, where’s he’ll live until he and Kumatora remembered who they were. He should help make it. On the other hand, he and Kumatora wouldn’t really be that useful, especially when the Dog Monsters probably had magic that could help build the house. Besides… he could really use some friends.

“Okay, Ms. Toriel.” Lucas said.

Toriel smiled at them. “Go children. Go make some friends for me. And when you return, I will welcome you with butterscotch cinnamon pie and open arms in our new home.”

…

The children waved goodbye to Toriel and headed down the hill.

“So…” Kumatora began. “It’s gonna be a while before the house is finished. What do ya guys wanna do until then?”

“We should probably explore the city.” Frisk said.

“Yeah…” Lucas replied. “But shouldn’t we also do what Ms. Toriel told us and make some friends?”

“We can do that while we’re in the city.” Frisk said. “Though I’m a little worried about finding our way around.”

“Yeah…” Kumatora said, putting her finger under her chin while she thought. “It would be helpful if we knew our way around. Do you know anyone who…?”

“GGGUUUUUUUUUUYYYYYYYYYYSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” shouted a familiar, high pitched voice cried.

Frisk turned her head, and, running toward them as fast as his feet could carry him, was Steven. He looked exactly like he did when Lucas first saw him: the same red shirt with a yellow star in the middle, the same blue jeans, and the same brood goofy smile that was absolutely infectious. The Monsters surrounding them gave a few looks in Steven’s direction, probably confused as to why a human was so eagerly running through their settlement, but Steven didn’t seem to notice.

“Steven!” the three children yelled at the same time as Steven caught up to them. Frisk smiled as Steven took a moment to catch his breath. She had been hoping that she would see Steven today. The boy been so nice before, and honestly, he almost certainly knew more about the area than anyone else. He could help them get to know the town a little better.

“Guys!” Steven cried, making a few little jumps in his excitement. “You’re here! You’re all finally, finally here!”

“Yes!” Kumatora said, rolling her eyes at Steven with a laugh. “We’re here, dumby! Howd ya find us?”

“Garnet showed me the way with Future Vision!” Steven replied.

That answer gave Frisk some pause. “Future… Vision?” she asked.

“Yeah! Garnet can see the future with her third eye!”

“Eeeeehh…..” Frisk went, unable to come up with a response. That giant of a Gem could see the future? How? And if so… why didn’t she use that power when they first met? Or..was she? Was she using that power all the time and Frisk just didn’t know it…?

Frisk had so many questions.

“Anyway, I’m so glad you’re all here!” Steven shouted, making the three children cover their ears. “Now I can show all of Beach City, the Big Donut, Funland, the Crystal Temple, everything! I can introduce you to all my friends and you can introduce me to all of yours and ooooohhhhhhhhhhhh, we’re gonna have so much fun!”

“Woah, down boy!” Frisk said. “One thing at a time, Steven.”

“But….” Steven said.

“Hate to burst your bubble kid” Kumatora said. “But I don’t think that many of the Monsters are going to feel inclinded to just drop building their houses right now.”

“Oh.” Steven said, much more quietly than before. He looked down for moment, seeming to be in thought. “Well…would you guys like me to show you around?”

“Sure.” Frisk said with a smile. “We were just about to head down to the city anyway.”

“Awesome!” Steven said. “The first stop was going to be my house. It’s right around this hill.” Steven looked down awkwardly before looking up shyly. “Could we take the long way around? I want to see more of the Monsters.”

Frisk smiled at him. She was glad to see that at least one human was eager to learn more about the Monsters. “Sure thing, Steven.”

….

Steven’s heart was racing as they walked through the new settlement. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Here he was, with humans his own age, walking through a settlement with magical creatures! Every time he turned his head, he saw another fantastic, wonderful thing! Giant frogs manipulating insects to lift up bricks and materials! Vegetables with faces that grew wood from the ground to be cut for houses! A creature in a witch outfit lifting objects around with telekinesis. A giant insect that was burrowing tunnel under the ground!

“Wwwooooowwwww!” Steven exclaimed. “This is amazing! All this magical stuff…!”

 Frisk chuckled at the boy’s excitement. “It _is_ pretty incredible. Monster magic is so useful for so many things…”

“I know!” Steven cried. “I deal with magic stuff all the time, and I’ve never seen the Gems do anything like these guys are doing! Are you sure we shouldn’t get a few more of your friends from before? There’s so much about Monsters I want to ask them!”

“Sans and Papyrus are still packing their own house.” Frisk replied. “And Undyne’s helping her girlfriend pack her house.”

“Ummm….” Lucas said. “Girlfriend? Do you mean ‘boyfriend’?”

“No. I mean ‘girlfriend.’”

“Oh!” Lucas said, clearly surprised. “Is… that something that happens with Monsters?”

“It happens plenty with humans too.” Frisk said.

“Really?” Lucas.

Steven laughed at the blonde and wrapped an arm around him. Lucas flinched a bit, so Steven smiled at him to try and calm him down. “You really don’t remember much about the world, do you?” Steven asked.

Lucas looked down, seeming ashamed. “No…”

“Hey, don’t worry about!” Steven said, his smile getting even wider. “You remember some day! And hey! If you don’t, that’s what friends are for!”

 Lucas blinked at him. “Friends…?”

“Yeah!” Steven said, releasing Lucas and giving him a pat on the back. “Friends like me!”

 Lucas blinked again, and then gave a tiny, but earnest, smile. “Yeah… Friends like…you…”

Steven looked back at the other two children. Kumatora had her hands behind her head, and she was looking at Steven and Lucas with a carefree smile on her face. Frisk didn’t quite look as relaxed as Kumatora and he couldn’t see her eyes because she was squinting, but she still had a nice smile.

Steven’s heart gave a little dance. He had desperately wanted to make a good impression on these kids. Even though he knew pretty much everyone in Beach City, he didn’t really have friends that were his own age expect for Connie, and she lived quite far away. Furthermore, no matter how much he loved the Gems and they loved him, there wasn’t anyone else she could talk about magical stuff with. As a result, he often felt lonely despite the number of people around him. But now, he had three children right here in front of him, and no ordinary children at that! They were the adopted children of Monsters, much like Steven being raised by the Gems. Frisk was acting as the ambassador between the Monsters and humans, much like Steven had to occasionally do so with the Gems and Beach City ambassadors. Like Steven, Lucas and Kumatora had magical powers, despite being human beings. Heck, Lucas was even a healer, just like Steven! They could teach each other so much!

Steven looked to the grassy hillside in front of him, and shook in excitement. He was doing great! He was going to be such great friends with them! He just couldn’t mess this up…

After a few moments, they walked out of the settlement, into the grassy field.

“So, here is the Lighthouse Park!” Steven said. “A nice place to go for a walk on a sunny day!”

“Seems rather deserted.” Frisk said, looking around from right to left.

Steven blinked. “Well, no one’s gone up here because the Monsters are building their neighborhood next to it. They’re just minding their manners until the buildings all done!”

“Hmm…” Kumatora said with a frown. “Not that they’d have a reason to be here anyway.”

“Why makes you say that?”

“Cause this place is boring!” Kumatora cried. “It’s just grass! Don’t you have anywhere more interesting to show us?”

“Kumatora…” Lucas mumbled. “Don’t you remember what Ms. Toriel said about minding your manners…?”

“Hmm…” Steven replied. She was right. A grassy field is nice, but not exciting enough to be an attraction for the city. If Steven wanted to impress them, he needed to show them things that could only be found in Beach City. Things that only the people of this town could give them…

Steven looked up. In the distance, near the end of the field, he saw a familiar building. Just what he needed…

Steven grinned. “I’ll show you something more interesting...” He looked back at Kumatora. “If you can keep up…”

Kumatora grinned right back at him. “Are you challenging me, kid?”

“Umhmm.” Steven said with a nod. If Kumatora thought the field was boring, then he had to make the park entertaining until they got out. He slowed down, concentrating all his power into his legs. Then, he shouted, “Ready or not!” and took off.

“Oh no you don’t” Kumatora yelled. Steven looked behind him to see the pink haired girl running after him, a cocky, daring smile on her face.

“Wait!” Lucas cried, running after them while waving his arms. “Come back!”

Steven turned his head a bit, trying to find Frisk, but then he heard the sound of footsteps next to him. He turned his head to the right, and, running right beside him, was Frisk.

Steven blinked in surprise. Frisk had her arms stretched beside her like a jet and her brown hair billowed behind her as she kept up with Steven without any apparent effort. She turned her head to look at Steven dead in the eyes, a mischievous grin forming on her face.

“So...” she said, without any strain in her voice, despite running as fast as Steven could manage. “Where did you have in mind?”

“Umm…” Steven replied, taken off guard by Frisk’s ability to keep up with no effort. “The ‘It’s A Wash’. It’s the building in front of us, with the garage.”

“Huh.” Frisk said, turning her head in front of her. “I see it.” Frisk turned her head back to Steven, that mischievous grin still on her face. “See you there!” With that, she pulled ahead of Steven, running in the direction of the building that was coming into their sights.

Steven grinned again. There was no way he’d back down from this challenge! “I see _you_ there!” Steven shouted at Frisk, and picked up his already rigorous pace.

On they ran, the grimy building getting closer and closer. But Frisk was already so far ahead of Steven, and she was getting farther. Just when he was considering giving up, another set of footsteps clopped next to him.

“I ain’t gonna lose!” Kumatora yelled.

“Yeah ya are!” Steven yelled back. The garage and parking lot was just up ahead. He wasn’t gonna lose…

“Slow down guys!” the voice of Lucas whined. Steven ignored him. He was almost there. He and Kumatora were tied now. If he just got a few more inches…

Frisk slammed her hand to the wall of the building. Steven had lost. Well… no matter he just had to beat…

With a triumphant cry, Steven slammed his hand on the door of the garage… at the exact moment Kumatora did the same.

“I beat you!” Kumatora shouted pumping her fist in triumph.

“Nu-uh!” Steven cried. “I beat you!”

“Prove it or move it, kid!” Kumatora retorted with that cocky grin still on her face.

“Well, it doesn’t matter either way, because I beat both of you.” Frisk said.

“Damn, that’s right!” Kumatora grumbled.

“Well, you saw us run here.” Steven said. “Who got here first?”

“Between you two, it was a tie.” Frisk replied.

“Hmm… Lucas!” Kumatora suddenly yelled, turning her head to see the blond finally catching up to them, huffing and wheezing as he hunched over with his hands on his knees.

“You saw us run from all the way back there.” Kumatora said. “Who got here first?”

“F-f-frisk…” Lucas wheezed out.

“I meant between me and Steven!” Kumatora cried in annoyance.

“Oh!” Lucas jumped back, startled. “It was a tie!” he quickly responded.

Kumatora sighed, and then shrugged. “Oh well. I’ll beat you next time.”

Steven laughed at her. “Looking forward to it!”

“Where are we?” Frisk said, looking around.

Steven felt the stars form in his eyes. “Come over here.” With that, he turned around the corner of the garage. There, he saw the entrance of the building with the neon elephant shaped sign “It’s A Wash” hanging from the top of the building. Next to it was another garage door, that Steven knew lead to the place where the cars got washed

“Ta-daa!” Steven cried, as the three children caught up to him and looked at the carwash.

“It’s… a carwash…” Frisk said, sounding somewhat awkward.

“ _This_ is what you made us run all this way to see?” Kumatora cried. If Steven didn’t know any better, he would have said she sounded irritated…

“Isn’t it great?” Steven said. He honestly didn’t think they would be particularly impressed with the carwash. There was just someone they needed to meet…

“It’s… an interesting choice…” Frisk said.

“Well, that’s not all!” Steven said. “You get to meet the owner!” He turned his gaze to the right, where he saw a van parked in the corner of the lot. The van had a rather detailed paint job. The lower half of the side of the van was painted with red, blue, yellow, and white stripes, with the words “Mr. Universe” painted in stylized purple letters. In the upper half of the side of the van, a large blue planet was painted on, with white stars in the background, and a streaking comet in front of the planet.

“Great…” Kumatora muttered, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes

“Hold on! Let me get him!” Steven said. He ran to the van and took a peek inside. Sure enough, his target was there, snoring in the rear section of the van with a blanket over his body.

Steven ran around to the back door of the van and knocked as loudly as he could. “Dad! Dad, wake up!”

Steven stopped knocking when he heard a tired groan from the back of the van. “S-s-steee-ven?”

“Dad, get up!” Steven cried. “There are people who want to meet you!”

“Says who?” Kumatora said. Steven might have said something back if Frisk hadn’t elbowed Kumatora in the ribs in response.

Steven heard a few thumping sounds from within the van, and then the door opened, revealing his father. He looked quite a bit like Steven, having the same dark eyes and chunky build. However, unlike Steven, his father had a thick beard and moustache that grew in one piece around his mouth. The top of his father’s head was bold, but there was still greying brown hair hanging from the back of his head, flowing past his knees. As usual, he dressed in grey sweat pants and a white tank top that didn’t do anything to hide the tan lines on his chest.

“Hey, Stew-ball.” His father said affectionately as he stepped out of the van. “How you doing?”

Steven responded with hugging his father’s chest tightly. “I’m doing fine, dad.” Steven said as his father responded with a warm embrace of his own.

“Good.” His father said as he stepped away. “So what brings you here…” His gaze went over to the three children behind Steven, and he stopped dead.

“Wait…” his father gasped, looking right at Frisk. “You… aren’t you Frisk Dreemurr?”

Steven looked back at Frisk to find that the girl was looking down, blushing shyly. “Ummm… yes…” she said, her voice quiet.

“Woah!” Steven’s father exclaimed, making Frisk flinch. “You’re the Monster King’s ambassador! You’re practically a princess! What you doing in a riggy-dig place like this?”

“I…we just moved here with Mom to this city today.” Frisk replied. “Steven was showing us around the city while Mom helped build the house.”

“O-o-oh!” Steven’s father stammered. He shot a look at Steven. “Son, you _know_ the Royal Family of the Monsters?”

Steven couldn’t help but laugh a bit. He loved his father dearly, but he could be such an awkward goof. These were just kids. There was no reason to be afraid. Especially since Frisk and Lucas seemed just as nervous as Greg was. “Yeah dad!” Steven said. “I meet her with the rest of the Gems when the Monsters were freed! Remember?”

“Oh!” his father exclaimed, seeming to realize something. He offered his hand to Frisk.  “I’m Greg Universe, Steven’s father! I-i-it’s an honor to meet you!”

Frisk blinked, and then smiled, shaking the man’s hand. “The honor’s mine. It’s great to meet you, Mr. Universe.”

Greg smiled widely after the hand shake was over, and then he noticed Lucas and Kumatora. “And who might you rascals be?”

“Ummm…” Lucas said quietly, not looking at Greg in the eye, “Lucas…”

“The names Kumatora.” Kumatora replied. “We’re with Frisk.”

Greg blinked, confused. “So, you’re her friends?”

“They’re orphans who lost their memories.” Frisk clarified. “They’re staying with me and Mom until we find out more about them.”

“Oh.” Greg said, his smile falling. “You lost your memories? That’s too bad…”

“Don’t remind me.” Kumatora grunted.

“So…” Greg went on. “What brings you all here?”

“I was just showing them the city!” Steven said, wrapping his arms around his father’s leg. “And I couldn’t have possibly given a proper tour of Beach City without showing them the best Dad in the world!”

“Awwhh…” Greg cooed with a blush on his face. “Steven…” With that, Greg ruffled Steven’s hair, making Steven giggle in response.

“So... you work here?” Kumatora asked, eying the car wash.

“Umhmm.” Greg replied, looking at the car wash with pride. “‘It’s A Wash…’ Took it off the old owners hands a long time ago. Now, it’s my bread and butter…”

“So… people pay you… to wash their cars…” Kumatora said, as if asking for clarification.

“Yeah!” Greg said. “You gotta get paid if ya wanna eat after all. You at least remember that, right?”

“No.” Kumatora said. “Why don’t you just take what you need to eat without paying?”

“Because I’d get arrested.” Greg replied.

“There’s that word again.” Kumatora said, looking at Frisk. “First with Sans, now with this. What does ‘arrested’ mean?”

“Well…” Greg began, twiddling his thumbs a bit. “It’s like this. Whenever you do something that the government says is bad, the cops will find you and lock you in a room, where you have limited food, water, and no privacy, and you can’t leave until the government says so.”

“That’s dumb.” Kumatora said.

“It’s to encourage people to not do bad things.” Frisk said.

“Oh yeah?” Kumatora asked. “And how well does it work?”

“Not very well.” Greg said.

“So…” Frisk said before Kumatora could make a snarky remark. “Do you always sleep at work?”

Greg blinked at her. “I never sleep at work.”

Frisk blinked in confusion. “But…you were sleeping in your car…at your car wash.”

Greg looked down sheepishly. “Well… that’s because the car and the car wash… are kind of my home…”

Frisk, Lucas, and Kumatora turned to look at the man in shock. “You’re kidding.” Kumatora said.

Greg laughed, patting the van as he did so. “Afraid not, kids. This van’s been my ride and my bedroom for years now. It’s kinda hard to afford a mansion on my salary…”

 _Especially if most of that salary goes to raising a kid._ Steven thought, unable to keep the guilt from creeping into his thoughts.

“Then…” Frisk asked. “Does Steven live with his Mom?”

The word _Mom_ hit Steven like a truck.

It must have showed on his face, because Frisk immediately tried to take it back, a concerned look on her face. “I’m sorry!” she said quickly said. “I only meant…”

“It’s okay…” Greg replied. He wasn’t smiling anymore, his voice lost the enthusiasm that it had moments before. “To answer your question… no. Steven’s mother…is no longer with us…”

“Oh…” Frisk said quietly. “I’m… sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” Greg said, trying to reassure Frisk with a smile. It probably would have worked if the smile didn’t look so pained. “You didn’t know.”

Frisk didn’t respond. Instead, she looked between Greg and Steven uneasily. Lucas and Kumatora were silent, making the whole unnervingly quiet.

This was not what was supposed to happen. Steven was supposed to introduce his father to his new friends, and they’d have a great time. He didn’t expect any of the three to ask about his mother….

Steven looked up at his father. He was still smiling, but Steven could see the pain in his eyes. Frisk hadn’t known it, but just asking that question brought up a lot of memories in his father.  Memories of a person that had been the center of his father’s universe. Memories of someone that had brought so much happiness and wonder into his father’s life. Memories of someone that he’d never, ever be able to see, hear, or touch again.

Because of Steven.

Greg glanced down at Steven, seeming to notice him staring at him, and he coughed into his hand. “I should probably open up the wash now.” he said with a smile. “With all the Monsters moving into town, there’s probably going to be a lot of cars to wash. Can’t waste a golden opportunity like that.”

“Oh.” Steven said. “Yeah… Do you want us to stay and help?”

“Oh, no!” Greg replied with a laugh, “You’re still giving the Ambassador a tour of the town! That’s much more important than anything you could do here.”

“Dad…” Steven said. He had been hoping that they’d stay longer. Steven really wanted his friends and his dad to like each other, and was hoping that they’d hang out a bit. And honestly, Steven hadn’t really been seeing much of his father lately…

“It’s fine, Steven.” His father insisted. “There’s not much to do around here today anyway. Go have fun with your friends.”

Steven looked back at the three children. Well… the three of them probably wouldn’t have like to work at the carwash anyway. He looked back at his father, forcing a smile on his face, and said, “Okay, dad. I’ll see you later!” With that Steven hugged his father again. Greg quickly returned the hug.

When his father released him, Frisk stepped forward, offering her hand. “It was great to meet you, Mr. Universe.”

Greg took her hand and shook it eagerly, “And it was great meeting you, Ambassador. Feel free to stop by any time! And tell your Monster friends that they’re always welcome here!”

Frisk smiled at that. “I will!”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Universe.” Lucas said, more quietly than Frisk did.

“Yeah.” Kumatora said, with a wave. “Good meetin ya!”

“Race you guys to the beach!” Steven suddenly cried. Before any of them could react, Steven took off, in the direction of the next stop on the tour.

…

Frisk won the race to the beach too. This time, Steven decided to be nice and let Kumatora win. Kumatora whooped in triumph and cartwheeled in the sand. Lucas had fallen behind like last time, but Steven was sure to slow down enough so he could talk to him.

“You doing okay?” Steven asked the panting boy.

“Yeah…” Lucas huffed out. “I don’t know what I was before the Monsters found me, but a runner was not one of them…”

“You still haven’t remembered anything?” Steven asked, curious. Steven wasn’t exactly rushing the boy, but it had been a week. If his memory didn’t come back soon, would it ever come back?

Lucas shook his head sadly. “No…”

“Hmmm…” Steven went, not taking his eyes off of Lucas’s face. The boy had a, distant far-away look in his eyes, as if he wasn’t really there in front of Steven. It seemed that Steven’s question made him worry. He hadn’t wanted that…

“Hey, don’t sweat it!” Steven said, patting the boy on the shoulder. “You remember soon. I’m sure of it!”

Lucas looked at Steven in the eyes, seeming to process the thing that Steven had said. Then, he smiled. “I hope so.” He said.

Steven felt warmth creep up in his stomach, surrounding the gem in his belly button. Lucas had been so sullen and sad, both during the fight with the Gems and for the majority of tour so far.  Honestly, Steven had been worried if he was ever going to get him to enjoy the city. But now, Lucas was smiling earnestly, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world for him to do so. Steven had known that there had to have been more to the golden haired boy than what that sullenness, and he had been right. Now, he just had to make sure he kept smiling…

Steven looked in front of him, facing the narrow beach they were walking down. The sun was still high in the sky, reflecting in bright glimmers in the blue sea. The seagulls were out today, flying in sky and near the ocean, occasionally resting on nests in the craggily cliff side to the right side of the beach. Ahead of them were the two girls, who were slowing down now that they had won the race.

“Ah yeah!” Kumatora shouted, jumping up in the air and pumping her fist in triumph. She started to walk backwards in the sand to face Steven and Lucas as they caught up to her. “See? How do like them apples, Steven?”

“I admit it.” Steven said, barely containing a laugh. “You got me that time.”

“And don’t you forget it!” Kumatora cried with that same cocky grin.

“Frisk still beat you.” Lucas pointed out.

“I know.” Kumatora said. “But I still beat the rest of you. Second place ain’t so bad for my second try. Besides, who knows? I can probably kick her ass if I keep at it.”

Steven couldn’t stop the laugh this time. He had only really talked with her for less than a day, but he could already tell the pink haired girl was going to be a handful. So far, Kumatora had been so loud and full of herself this entire trip, but her energy and confidence was infectious. She kind of reminded him of Amethyst.

“So, who won?” Frisk asked, slowing down so that she walked right next to Kumatora.

“Me of course.” Kumatora said with a sigh, putting her hands behind her head. “After you.”

“Neat.” Frisk said, stretching her arms.

Steven watched her for a moment, trying to figure out what the girl was thinking, but Frisk’s expression was completely blank at the moment, and her eyes were squinting so much, they were almost closed. Steven couldn’t read her.

So far, out of the three children, Frisk seemed to be the one that was the most like Steven himself. She was polite and nice, much like Lucas, but she wasn’t quite as shy. She had a certain energy about her, but she wasn’t as rude or brash as Kumatora. And unlike the two other children, she apparently had all her memories. Not only that, she somehow saved an entire race of people on her own, and was now representing them! How did she do it? What was she hiding? What did she know? What thoughts roamed in her head?

Steven felt butterflies in his stomach as the excitement built. He was about to ask a question, but Frisk beat him to the punch. “About what happened back there…” she said.

The excitement in Steven’s stomach faded, as his mind filled with the image of a woman with long pink hair and a pink gem in her belly button. “Oh…” he said. “It’s okay… you didn’t know…”

“Still…” Frisk said. “I’m sorry I brought it up. It couldn’t have been easy thinking of your mother.”

She wasn’t wrong. His father and the Crystal Gems positively adored his mother, and why wouldn’t they? From what he kept hearing, she was amazing. She was strong. She was brilliant. She was loving. She was beautiful. She was perfect.

Everything that Steven wasn’t.

“Were you close?” Frisk asked, turning to look at him.

Steven shook his head. “No…. I didn’t really know her…”

“How did she die anyway?” Kumatora asked, raising an eyebrow.

Steven sighed internally. He really didn’t want to talk about this. Especially if they were going to ask questions about it. He didn’t want more people blaming him…

“Kumatora…” Lucas said, his voice carrying a warning.

“What?” Kumatora cried, defensively. “I’m just asking because…” Kumatora sighed before continuing. “Well, you said before your mom was a Gem…”

“That’s right!” Frisk suddenly said, as if realizing something. “You’re half-human…”

“Well, yeah.” Steven said. “My mom was a Gem.”

“So…” Kumatora said. “If she’s a Gem, how did she _die_? Pearl said they were immortal. Was she just making that up?”

Steven sighed, coming to a sudden stop as he pressed a hand on the gemstone beneath his shirt. The group stopped with him, and Steven could feel their eyes on him.

It looked like there wasn’t a way out of this. Oh well… They were going to find out eventually… He just didn’t want to tell them _now…_

“She didn’t exactly die.” Steven said, pulling up his shirt, revealing the Gem underneath. “When mom became pregnant, she decided to pass her gemstone down to me. But a Gem’s gemstone is what’s really them. And a gemstone can’t hold two people at once. So once she passed down her gem… she just… disappeared.”

“So…” Kumatora said. “Your mom died giving birth to you.”

She might as well have hit Steven’s gemstone with a sledgehammer. Steven gripped the stone in his belly, staring down at it. This was exactly what he was afraid of. They knew the truth, and now they blamed him. Just like the Gems. Just like his father. Of course, why wouldn’t they? It was his fault she was…

“Kumatora!” Steven heard Lucas and Frisk cry. Why where they mad? She just said the truth. Were they going to be like the Gems and act like it wasn’t his fault? Somehow, that would hurt more than if they just said it was…

“No, I didn’t mean...!” Kumatora stammered. “I only meant…” Then, she sighed, becoming quiet for a moment.

No one spoke for a long moment. Steven pushed his shirt back over his gemstone. Now they knew. Now…they probably hated him…

Then, Kumatora started talking again. “Steven…” she said. “I only meant to understand what you were saying. I didn’t mean to say that you killed your mother.”

Her voice was quieter than usual, and Steven could her the sympathy in her voice.

“I mean…” Kumatora continued. “That’s basically what happened, right? She died giving birth to you. That’s what happened, and that’s that. It doesn’t mean she died _because_ of you. You didn’t ask for her to do that. Saying it’s your fault would be the stupidest thing I ever heard…”

Steven didn’t respond. Kumatora sounded a lot like Amethyst when he had asked her about it. Steven wanted to believe her, but…

Steven felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Kumatora next to him, her arm wrapped around him. “Steven, it’s not your fault. You couldn’t control what your mother did. Don’t be stupid and go thinking you could’ve.”

Steven blinked at her in surprise. He hadn’t expected an answer so… blunt. When he asked Amethyst, she had given some weak reassurances and tried to avoid the topic. With Kumatora… she wasn’t playing with him at all. He tried to look for ant sign that Kumatora was hiding something from him, but he couldn’t see any. All of Kumatora’s intent was clear before him in that moment. And in that moment, Kumatora was trying to tell Steven it wasn’t his fault…

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. He turned his head to see Frisk, giving him a small smile.

“As bluntly as she put it…” Frisk said, extending her hand and wrapping it around Steven’s. “She’s right, Steven. You didn’t kill your mother. You shouldn’t think you have.”

Again, Steven tried to find any sign that the person before him was lying, but she couldn’t find one. Frisk’s brown eyes were wide open, and Frisk could see the warmth in them. The kindness in them… the kindness that was being directed at him…

Steven sniffed, barely surpassing the urge to cry. They…really didn’t blame him at all. They didn’t hate him. They didn’t view him as a killer or anything else besides Steven…

“Thank you…” Steven said. He squeezed the hand that was holding his and wrapped and arm around Kumatora’s. Steven couldn’t believe that he wasn’t to blame. Not yet. But, despite himself, he felt the pressure lift from his shoulders a bit. Now he had people that he knew didn’t think that he killed his mother. Kumatora… Frisk…

“Lucas?” Steven heard Kumatora call.

Steven looked up to see Kumatora was looking at something with a concerned look on her face. He followed her gaze to see Lucas, who was staring at the ocean.

“Mother…” Lucas said, wistfully. There was a vacant look in his blue, pupilless eyes.

What was going on? “Lucas?” Steven asked, as he walked over to the boy and shook him by the shoulder.

“Oh!” Lucas said, his gaze focusing on Steven. “I’m sorry…”

“Are you okay?” Frisk asked, concerned.

“Yeah…” the blonde responded quietly. “I just… had a feeling…”

“You said ‘mother’…” Steven said. “Did you… remember something?”

Lucas blinked at him, and then frowned. “No…” he said.

“Oh…” Steven said, disappointed. It had looked like that Lucas recalled his mother, but it seemed that Steven just made Lucas feel bad.

“Steven?” Lucas said, bring Steven’s attention back to reality.

“Yeah?” Steven replied.

“Your mother wouldn’t regret having you.” Lucas said.

Steven blinked. “What?”

“Your mother wouldn’t regret having you.” Lucas said again. “No mother would. Not if it was you.”

Steven honestly had no idea what to say. He felt warmth flow inside his body again, but this time, it was coming directly from the gem in his stomach. “T-t-thank you.” Steven said, for once completely at a loss for words.

The group was silent for a moment. They stood there on the beach, looking right at the sea. The waves were a bit bigger than they were the other day, so they made a harder impact when they crashed against the shore. Steven relished in the sound of the crashing waves, as they turned into white brine and silvery mist, before retreating back to the ocean.

He was glad he was here. He was glad he was here with his new friends.

“It’s a beautiful day outside.” Frisk sighed, sounding completely at peace.

“Yeah…” Steven said. “It is…”

“So…” Kumatora said. “Where was it you wanted to show us?”

Steven smiled at her. “It’s right up ahead. Let me show you.”


	8. Steven's Beach City Tour (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven continues to show his new friends the city. Unfortunately, his plans are derailed by the city's... issues...  
> No crying until the end... okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. I'm sorry it's late. Moving into a new house is a bitch. I hope you enjoy the chapter anyway.

They continued their route through the beach by the Cliffside. Kumatora was growing restless as the minutes passed.

“C’mon Steven!” Kumatora whined. “What so damn important that you dragged us all the way out here to show us?”

Steven grinned at how fidgety she was getting. “It’s my house.” he replied. “It’s… rather hard to miss.”

Eventually, the narrow shore came to an end, expanding into a wide beach facing the east, with a few rocks jutting from the white sand. If one was to look at a few of the rocks, one would see they were broken pieces of a pillar from some building from long ago…

“Okay guys!” Steven said, as the cliffside started to come to an end. “Keep your eyes on me! Don’t look behind you until I say so, okay?”

“Why?” Kumatora asked. “It’s a house.”

Steven couldn’t resist a giggle. “Because it’ll be so much cooler if your first sight of it is the whole thing.”

“Do you live in a mansion?” Frisk asked, raising an eyebrow.

Steven just giggled again, as he raised his eyes to the thing etched into the cliff side. Oh… he had been looking forward to this… He couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces… “Just trust me.” Steven said.

Kumatora sighed. “Ok, we’ll humor you. Lead the way.”

Steven giggled yet again. He turned around, walking backwards to face lead his friends and face the cliff side. It wasn’t quite time yet. He just needed the perfect view…

“Almost there….” Steven said as he and friends got closer to the center of the beach. “Closer… Closer…. Almost there and….”

Steven gave one last look at the cliff. The view was perfect.

“Ok!” Steven cried enthusiastically. “Turn around!”

Frisk, Lucas, and Kumatora turned around to face the cliff side. Immediately, the three at the sight before them.

“Oh my god…” Kumatora muttered, her voice low with awe.

“It’s… beautiful…” Frisk whispered.

“You live here?” Lucas asked.

Steven nodded, stars forming in his eyes at the fact that he had successfully awed his new friends. “Yeah, Lucas.” Steven said. “I live here. Just me and the rest of the Crystal Gems.” He looked up to the cliff side his friends were staring at.

 Etched into the huge, rocky cliff was an enormous statue. It depicted a giant of a woman, with a stern, focused expression, wearing a sort of helmet on top of her mass of curly hair. At some point, the statue had eight arms, four of which were outstretched around the center of the statue, as if they were holding something. But time and erosion had a way of changing things. Now, three of the outstretched arms came to stumps at the forearm, and the only one intact was the upper right one. The other four arms of the statue were kept inward, the hands converging into a ball around the naval of the woman.

 There, held inside the statue’s hands, was Steven’s house. It was made of white wood, and it had a large wooden porch in the front of it. From the porch, a set of stairs descended down to a hill, which seemed to been designed specifically by someone to lead up to the statue, like a ramp of earth.

This whole thing, the statue, the house, and the caverns that both hid… this was Steven’s home. It wasn’t like any other home in the city, and Steven couldn’t imagine himself living anywhere else.

The three children still had those shocked looks on their faces, which amused Steven.

“That whole thing…” Frisk said in wonder. “Everything inside is your house?”

Steven nodded. “Yes. Thought… the rooms inside are bit… special… You know…. Magic.”

“Can we go inside?” Kumatora suddenly cried, her eyes bright and wide with excitement.

“Well….” Steven said. “I kind of wanted to show you the rest of the city first. I just wanted to show you where me and the Crystal Gems lived, in case you needed us.”

Kumatora groaned. “But…” she whined. “It’s a magic temple! You don’t wave a magic temple in someone’s face and go ‘Oh no, this is boring! Let’s go see somethin else!’”

Steven laughed. “The Gems probably wouldn’t have allowed you in half the rooms in the temple to anyway. They were like that with me for a while, and I lived there for all my life!”

“That’s bullshit…” Kumatora grumbled.

 “Don’t worry!” Steven quickly said to cheer her up. “I’ll show you the inside of my house some other day. There’s still plenty of amazing things to see in Beach City!”

“Like _what?_ ” Kumatora asked with a frown.

Steven thought for a moment. What was the perfect place for this situation? What was something that all four of them would like…?

An idea came to Steven. “What time is it?”

“About 1:15?” Frisk answered.

“When did you guys eat breakfast?” Steven asked.

“At… 9:30? I think.” Frisk replied.

Steven blinked. “Well… aren’t ya hungry by now?”

“Famished.” Frisk replied.

“Starving.” Kumatora answered.

“I’m pretty hungry…” Lucas said, hesitant.

Steven grinned. He knew just where to go. “Then follow me! I’ll take you to where they serve the best food in all of Beach City!”

….

They walked through another stretch of a sandy beach. Frisk was still in awe of the Temple that Steven had showed them.  The Crystal Gems lived in that huge _statue?_ And from what Steven had said, there were magical rooms in the inside… Frisk could only imagine what sorts of things were inside those rooms. True, she had seen a fair share of incredible things in the Monsters’ home, but Gem magic was different from Monster magic. Whatever was inside just had to be incredible. And to think Steven’s house was right next to such a magical place…

It was also quite comforting to know that the Crystal Gems were literally right on the other side of the hill. That way, if something went wrong, they would always be able to get help….

Eventually, the beach came to end, and Frisk could see a few buildings on the concrete ahead of them. The closet one had a huge plastic chocolate donut hanged up on the roof, a red and brown patterned awning, and a round table with a circular red covering over it.

Steven pointed at this particular building. “It’s over there!” he shouted. Suddenly, he took off in a run toward the shop.

“Slow _down_ , kid!” Kumatora cried as they chased after the boy. They didn’t have to run for long, since Steven suddenly came to a stop right in front of the door.

“Ta-daaaaaaahhhhh!” Steven cried heartily, turning back to face the group and spreading his arms wide. “Welcome to the Big Donut!”

Frisk looked through the window. Inside, cabinets and desks lined the wall on the left, and snack containers lined the wall on the right. In the back of the store, there was a glass container of donuts and a wooden desk with a cash register on top. Behind the desk, there were two people.

“This is it?” Kumatora asked.

“Yep!” Steven answered with a grin.

“A donut place…” Frisk muttered. She couldn’t help but cringe at the sight. Out of all the foods in the world, Frisk liked donuts the least. She nearly threw up when she had to eat Muffet’s spider donuts, and that was without the fact that her donuts were made of spiders. To Frisk, donuts were always that food that she ate to fill herself up when there was nothing to eat. Honestly, she had had way too much of them when she lived with….

“What’s wrong?” Steven asked, his face falling a bit.

“Oh.” Frisk said. “Sorry Steven… I just… I just don’t particularly like donuts…”

“WWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?” Steven cried shrilly, making Frisk, Lucas, and Kumatora cover their ears in response. “But there SSSSSSSOOOOOOO yummy!”

“Sorry.” Frisk said. “I’ve had my fill of that fake food a long time ago.”

“You just haven’t had the right donut!” Steven insisted. “The ones made here are the best I’ve ever tasted in my whole life.”

“Ummmm….” Frisk wondered out loud. “Haven’t you lived in this city your life?”

Steven ignored her, frowning. “C’mon! This is one of my favorite places in the whole city! Just give it a chance! Please?”

Frisk looked at him. Steven seemed to have really put his heart into this tour of his. All he wanted was to make the three of them to enjoy the city that they just moved in, and he didn’t seem to be expecting anything in return. And the Frisk had to go and ruin his day by bringing up his mother, who had given her life to give Steven his…

Frisk felt guilty. Steven was being so nice to them, and he didn’t have any real reason to. The least she could do was go with him to the restaurant he loved.

“Okay.” Frisk said, mustering up a smile.

“Yes!” Steven cried. With that, he opened the door and all four of them stepped inside the shop.

The store smelled like stale pastries and frosting, which wasn’t that surprising to Frisk. As they walked in, Frisk got a better look at the two people behind the desk. They were both teenagers, most likely 17 or 18. One was a tall, lanky boy, dressed in jeans and purple shirt with a picture of a half-eaten donut and long grey sleeves. He had a mass of puffy red hair on section of his square head, and his ears were pierced and rather floppy.

The other person behind the counter was a somewhat heavy-set girl. She wore a purple shirt with a half-eaten donut, though she didn’t have sleeves as long as the boy’s, and black pants. Her yellow hair was long and curly.

“Ssssaaaaddddiiiiiiieeeee!” Steven yelled. “Llllllllaaaaaarrrrrrrrssssssssss! You have some very special guests today!”

“GGGGAAAAAAHHHHHH!” the boy, apparently called Lars, cried, jumping from the counter, his back hitting the shelves behind him. He gasped and tried scrambled to catch the two falling boxes.

“STEVEN!” Lars screamed, slamming the boxes down on the counter. “DON’T SCREAM LIKE THAT!!!”

“The only one screaming here is you” Kumatora deadpanned.

Lars looked at Kumatora like he was about to blow up at her, but thankfully, the girl behind the counter intervened. “Hey, Steven!” she said, cheerfully, like the screaming didn’t bother her. “Haven’t seen you…” Her eyes fell on Frisk, and her breath stopped short

“You’re….” the girl, apparently called Sadie, gasped. “The Ambassador…”

Frisk stopped. The girl was acting like she had seen a ghost. “Yes…” Frisk said. “I’m… the Ambassador…”

“Who?” Lars snapped, turning to look at Sadie.

“The Ambassador for the Monsters!” Sadie cried. “The kid that fell in that mountain and set them free? Don’t you watch the news?”

“No.” Lars scoffed. He picked his nose, turning to face the children with a glare. “So you’re the reason where that those _freaks_ are taking over our city?”

“Lars!” Sadie hissed. “Show some respect! This kid is probably the most important human political figure in the _world_ right now!”

“Yeah.” Lars scoffed. “The figure head in the Monster’s scheme to steal our land. _Real important!_ ”

Frisk’s heart sank. Steven told her that people were used to magic, and yet this guy was acting so disgusted with the Monsters. And… a figurehead? Frisk was a figurehead? True, Toriel and Asgore had been taking care of most of the politics but… she was helping… wasn’t she?

Well, now was a great time to be an ambassador. Frisk looked into Lars’s dark eyes, trying to get a read on him He didn’t look angry, just… annoyed. Maybe if she said something, she could convince him to change his mind.

“Is something bothering you?” Frisk asked upfront.

“Uh!” Sadie scoffed. “Don’t mind him! He’s like this even _when_ the town isn’t going through mass immigration!”

“Have you _seen_ those Monsters?” Lars cried. “At least those weird ladies in that temple _look_ human! Most of those Monsters can’t even stand up straight! I don’t even think a few of them are _alive!_ Seriously, some of them are freakin planes!”

“And that matters because…?” Kumatora asked.

“Why does it matter?” Lars shouted in disbelief. “ _It’s not normal!_ This town’s weird enough as it is! We don’t need more freaks and their magic messing things up!”

Kumatora gave a little growl of irritation. “Well, jackass, ya better get used to it. Those Monsters are here to stay, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Lars glared at her. “But why does _our_ town have to keep them?”

“Ummm… because the government won’t let them settle anywhere else?” Kumatora answered.

“And how would you know that, Pinkie?” Lars snapped.

Sadie face-palmed. “Because it was all over the news, you idiot!”

“And I live with a Monster.” Kumatora said.

Lars snorted. “That why your hair’s pink?”

“No…” Kumatora bowed her head lower, glaring at Lars, as if daring him to make a move. “It’s pink from all the blood I spill from jelly boned wimps like you…”

 When kids were threatening kids with death, it was time to intervene. “Please calm down.” Frisk pleaded, looking at Lars. “Look, I know it’s a lot to adapt to, but try to understand. The Monsters have been trapped in a cramped cave for thousands of years. Now that they’re free, they have a whole new world they can explore. Except the government doesn’t trust them enough to just let them live wherever they want. So… they sort of have to just settle with what’s available. But I promise, they don’t want to hurt anyone. They just want to live comfortable lives just like everyone else.”

For an improvised speech, Frisk thought she had done a good job. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to stick with Lars. “Whatever… kid…” he said with a scoff. Lars eyed Frisk like he was trying to probe something out her, but he wasn’t very happy about it. It confused Frisk, until Lars asked, “Okay, I give up. Are you a boy or a girl?”

“LARS!” Sadie cried.

A pit formed at the base of Frisk’s stomach. “I’m… a girl.” she answered, her voice faltering more than she would have wanted.

“Well, would it kill ya to at least _look_ like one?” Lars asked angrily. “Ya look like one of those trannies who can’t decide if they’re a boy or girl!”

Frisk gritted her teeth and looked at the floor so that she wouldn’t have to look at Lars. Even though she got comments like that all the time before she met the Monsters, it still felt like someone had thrown darts into her soul.

“Can I _hit_ him?” Kumatora growled through gritted teeth.

“Ya want start a fight, Pinky?” Lars growled back.

“Lars, the boxes in the back need sorting.” Sadie announced, like she was about to swing an axe into a tree.

Frisk looked up, and saw that Sadie was glaring at Lars. He met her glare without the slightest bit of fear. “And why would I do that?” he grumbled.

“Because if you keep running your mouth…” Sadie turned her head to face Kumatora. “Either she’s going to kill you, _I’m going to kill you_ , or I report your disrespect of our special customer to our boss, and _he’s going to kill you_!”

Lars blinked at her. “You wouldn’t dare.” He said.

“Try me.” Sadie said, her voice low, as if daring him to challenge her.

Lars blinked at her once more, and then sighed. “Fine” he grumbled, and with that he slumped off into the back room, slamming the door behind him.

“Asshole.” Kumatora growled.

“I’m sorry.” Sadie said with a sigh. “He’s not usually… _this_ bad, but the Monsters moving in is making him tense.”

“Oh poor baby.” Kumatora mocked. “I’m sure the Monsters living on the _other side of the city_ have seriously affected his life.”

“He’s just scared, guys.” Frisk sighed.

“Doesn’t give him the right to be an ass.” Kumatora said.

“Hey…” Steven said. “Lars isn’t a bad guy. He’s just… rough around the edges…”

“Yeah, right.” Kumatora rolled her eyes. “And I’m the queen of all Monsters.”

“I’m sorry.” Sadie said again. She smiled at Frisk. “Between you and me, I’m actually kind of excited about the Monsters coming to town. Even with the Crystal Gems, it’s kind of boring around these parts. This city could use a little bit of magic.”

Frisk smiled back at the girl. “Thank you.”

“And for what it’s worth…” Sadie added. “I think you make a rather adorable ambassador.”

Frisk felt her cheeks redden at that. “T-t-thank you.” she stammered.

“So….” Sadie said, tapping the glass that contained the donuts. “What can I get for the Ambassador and her friends?”

“I’ll let Steven decide.” Frisk said, turning to face for her friend.

“Just give us the basic box, please!” Steven said. “They’re first timers, so I want to start them off right!”

“You got it, Steven!” Sadie replied with a smile. With that, she opened up a white box and loaded six donuts of differing flavors into it. She handed the box to Steven. “ _Bon appetite!”_ She said.

“Thanks a lot, Sadie!” Steven said, turning back to the children. “C’mon guys! Let’s eat!”

….

They sat down on the round red table outside the shop. The children had a very good view of the beach and the hill, and there were just enough seats for all four of them. Frisk picked a chair facing the shop, with Steven sitting down right in front of her, Lucas sitting to her left, and Kumatora sitting on her right. Steven placed the box of donuts in the middle of the table.

“Dig in!” Steven grabbed a plain donut and took a bit out of it. Lucas reached out his hand at the box, but he hesitated a bit. Kumatora on the other hand, just snatched the nearest donut and crammed it into her mouth.

“Wait!” Frisk cried. “Don’t eat it all at once!”

Frisk could see the bulge in Kumatora’s cheeks as she chewed the entire pastry in her mouth, giving a few grumbles of satisfaction as she did so. After a few seconds, Kumatora swallowed down all of the donut in one gulp.

“Huh.” Kumatora grunted thoughtfully. “That was crap.”

Apparently, Kumatora didn’t notice that Frisk, Steven, and Lucas were staring at her. “Did you just swallow that donut whole?” Frisk asked.

“No.” Kumatora said. “I did chew a bit with it inside my mouth.”

“Don’t eat so fast.” Steven said. “You won’t enjoy the taste.”

“Whatever.” Kumatora replied, resting her head on her arms on the table.

Steven looked between Lucas and Frisk. “Well? What are you waiting for?”

“Oh!” Lucas cried. He took a chocolate donut, and took a little nibble out of it. The boy’s face fell as he slowly chewed the donut, as if he was looking for something, but not finding it.

“This… tastes weird…” Lucas said.

“It’s probably all the artificial flavors and fats that the factories put into them.” Frisk said, reluctantly taking a chocolate from the box. She hesitated, remembering all the other times that she ate a donut and promptly threw up her insides. However, Frisk took one look at Steven, and she saw his eager grin and the stars in his eyes. She just couldn’t say no. Frisk gave a sigh of resignation, and she took a tiny bite out of the donut, making sure to chew it thoroughly.

“Hmm…” Frisk muttered, thinking of how to give a fair assessment of the pastry. “Not exactly Mom’s pie, but considering that the last few donuts I had tasted like cardboard, I guess it’s pretty good.”

Steven blinked at them. “You mean… you guys didn’t like the donuts?” he asked, seeming confused.

“No.” Kumatora said, completely blunt.

“Sorry Steven.” Lucas said, looking genuinely apologetic. “It just tastes too weird.”

“I told you I never really liked donuts.” Frisk said. “Sorry.”

“Oh…” Steven looked down, forlorn for a moment. Frisk felt a pang of guilt, but before she could say anything, Steven turned his head back up at Frisk. “Then are you guys at least having fun?”

“Of course, Steven!” Frisk insisted. Steven was trying so hard to make sure that they were having a good time. Why? He didn’t need to do so much for them.

“I’m enjoying the tour.” Lucas said. “This is a nice town, Steven, and you’re doing a great job showing us.”

“Not that we remember any town to compare it with.” Kumatora said.

“Kumatora…” Lucas warned.

“I’m just saying.” Kumatora shrugged. She looked at Steven. “Still… this is a nice place you got.”

“Really?” Steven asked, practically pleading for an answer. Frisk couldn’t help but think of when she met Papyrus. The skeleton had been so desperate to impress her, constantly trying to stump her with his puzzles and making flashy, but ineffective magic attacks. All because he just wanted a friend…

“Yes, really!” Frisk cried. “Seriously, we’re having a good time, Steven. Don’t worry so much.”

Steven blinked, processing what it was that Frisk said. Then, he smiled. “Okay Frisk.”

Frisk smiled back, despite her stomach growling in protest of the donut she just ate. Still, it made Steven happy, so she took another bite out it, doing her best to not show the sickness on her face.

“So…” Lucas said. “What are we going to do now?”

“Well…” Steven began. “I was hoping that I’d you everything in Beach City! The Funland Arcade, Dewey Park, the T-shirt shop everything!”

“You planning on show us all that in a day?” Kumatora asked. “Did you plan on getting a ride from your dad?”

“Well…” Steven said, but then stopped. “Huh…”

“Just show us as much as you can by sunset.” Frisk said. “That’s when mom is expecting us back.”

“I’m not sure if I can arrange that…” Steven said. “There’s a lot of the city to see…”

“What, there a pants shop you desperately want to show us?” Kumatora questioned, her pink brow raised.

“Well… no…” Steven said, with a shake of his head. “But I have a lot of other great things to show you!”

 “Is it something like that Temple you live in?” Kumatora asked, her voice hopeful.

“No.” Steven said. “There isn’t really any more Gem stuff than the Temple….”

“Uuuugghhhhh!” Kumatora groaned, placing her arms on the table and burying her face in them. “That blonde doll was right! This place needs some more excitement!”

“I’m sorry!” Steven cried, jumping up in his chair and holding out his hands in front of him in a panic. “Don’t worry! There’s plenty of stuff to around here! I’ll take you to Funland! And the arcade! And…!”

“Calm down, Steven!” Frisk cried, stopping him before he could sulk again. “Seriously, it’s fine! Just show us the spots you think are the most interesting and we’ll go.”

Steven took a deep breath, and then sighed. “Okay.”

“Where do you and family like to go?” Lucas asked. “Maybe we can go there.”

Steven blinked at him. “Well…. The Gems don’t really go with me to Beach City that often. Except Amethyst. Dad is busy with his job, and the Garnet and Pearl are doing mission all the time.”

Kumatora looked up from her arms. “Missions?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Steven answered. “Missions. So they don’t really have time to have fun in Beach City…”

“What about Connie?” Lucas asked. “Where do you and her like to go?”

Steven looked down in thought. “It really depends. She lives in another town, so it really depends on how much time she has…”

“Connie?” Kumatora asked. “Your girlfriend? She lives in another town? How do keep talking to each other then?”

“The town’s very close by, so she can visit when her parents drive her.” Steven said. “But it’s not every day. Especially since she goes to school…”

“So…” Frisk asked, somewhat perplexed. “Other than the times that the Gems come from missions, you’re on your own?”

“No, no!” Steven cried, shaking his hands in front of him. “The Gems and dad spend plenty of time with me. We play video games, go to the beach, eat together even though Pearl hates eating, all sorts of stuff! And I sometimes work with dad in the wash, and I go with the Gems on missions! I’m not alone! It’s just there were never any kids my age who lived in Beach City, that’s all.”

“Oh…” Frisk sighed. Well… that explained a lot. No wonder Steven was desperate to make sure they all had a good time in the city. He was probably on his own quite a bit more than he let on, especially if his guardians were the Crystal Gems. If there were truly no other children his age to be with on a consistent, then he was probably very lonely…

“You said that the Gems go on ‘missions’.” Kumatora stated, rhythmically taping her gloved fingers on the table. “What sorts of missions?”

That question gave Frisk pause. She had honestly wondered that herself. Even though she occasionally read about the Crystal Gems on the newspaper, she didn’t know that much about them. Come to think of it… no one did. Sure, the Gems would go around saving people from strange happenings and mysterious creatures, but they only showed up in the papers every month or so. But from what Steven said, they were doing missions all the time. So what in the world were they doing…?

“Well…” Steven began. He looked hesitant, but Kumatora was staring at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

_Well… it looks like I’m about to find out._

Just then, there was a loud crash in the distance, the crumbling of rock and creak of twisting metal. The sounds were followed by a horrendous scream, and then by even more screams.

“What the hell is that?!” Kumatora yelled, immediately jumping to her feet, along with the other three children. The girl pointed some buildings in the distance. Dust and smoke was billowing from them, and there were chunks of concrete being launched into the air.

“I don’t know!” Frisk answered, fighting to keep her panic down as the loud booms of concrete being pulverized filled her ears.  Despite her efforts, all of the worst possibilities of what this destruction meant stormed her mind. Was this one of the Monsters? Why? Did one of the humans like Lars make it angry? No! It was too soon! They couldn’t be fighting this soon! How would they make peace now…? What were they going to do…?

“Frisk, look out!” Steven screamed, sheer terror ringing in his voice. Frisk snapped from her panic just in time to see a piece of concrete the size of a basketball flying toward her head.

In hindsight, this piece of rock was probably moving too fast for any human to dodge in the short amount of time that Frisk had. That rock probably should have lodged its way through her skull, ending her short, long, horrible existence.

However, Frisk wasn’t most people. In the split second that she had, she rolled out her chair and out of the way. She didn’t even really have to think about it. She just let her body go the way she felt it needed to. The concrete piece sailed right over her empty seat and lodged itself into the beach, kicking up a puff of sand as it crashed.

“Frisk!” Lucas screamed, running to her as she rolled onto her feet and faced the direction the concrete came from. “Is that one of the Monsters?”

“I don’t know!” Frisk cried.

“Wait!” Steven cried. “I don’t think it’s a Monster!”

“Then what is it?” Kumatora demanded, her voice shrill with fear and stress.

“I think it’s a Corrupted Gem!” Steven yelled.

The fear in Frisk’s mind lessened, replaced with confusion. She looked at Steven, looking utterly baffled. “A Corrupted Gem?”

“It’s getting closer!” Lucas cried. He was right. Something was burrowing just underneath the surface of the ground, making zigging and zagging lines of dirt and concrete across the city block ahead of them. Above the wild shuffling of dirt and cracking of stone, Frisk heard a shriek that made her blood go cold. It sounded like a human woman, mixed with the cry of a tortured bird, placed through an electronic filter. It sounded like it was in pain… and yet the cry was so empty... So hollow… So lifeless...

Whatever that thing was… there was no way it was a Monster. No Monster besides the Amalgamates had ever sounded so dead... 

“Steven?” Frisk turned to her friend, praying that he’d have answer.

Steven’s smile had been completely wiped away. He was gritting his teeth, and his eyes were wavering in terror. “Guys!” Steven yelled. “We have to go! Now!”


	9. Steven's Beach City Tour (part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The children are attacked by what Steven calls a Corrupted Gem! Can the children survive this fierce new foe?  
> No crying until the end... okay?

Before any of them could react, the creature was upon them. The bulge under the surface of the ground cut right into the beach in front of them, before the thing underneath erupted from beneath the sand. The thing landed a few meters away from Frisk, giving everyone a full view of it in the daylight.

The creature before them was shaped like a termite… an enormous termite. Its six legs had the thickness of telephone poles, and when their height combined with that of the creature’s gigantic, pasty white thorax, it made the creature larger than the Big Donut behind the children. Its head was larger than Frisk’s entire body, with huge black speckled eyes and sharp pincers taking up most of its face, thick wads of spit dripping from its mouth. At the top of the creature’s head were two antennas, sticking out and hang over its face like a downed wire.

The creature reared back on its long legs, and it arched its back, letting out an absolutely ear-splitting shriek. Frisk pressed her hands to her ears to block out the sound, but the roar was so powerful that her hair billowed behind her in the burst of air. There was the sound of glass shattering in the background, but Frisk was in too much pain to care. The screech rang inside her head, with such intensity that it felt like her skull would crack. But the worst part of the screech was just how… distorted it was. It definitely wasn’t a human sound on the surface, but underneath the layers of abominable noise… there was something… uncanny. If Frisk didn’t know any better, she would have said it sounded like a woman… an incredibly pained and tormented woman…

If this wasn’t Frisk’s first encounter with a strange creature, she almost certainly would have panicked, and probably have ran away screaming with that thing chasing her. Fortunately, this wasn’t her first encounter, so the panic merely caught in Frisk’s chest, cutting off her breath and rooting her in place, until the creature ceased that horrible sound.

Frisk brought her head up to face the creature, trying to see when it would attack. Thankfully, the wasn’t doing anything too hostile, merely growling at the children, the vibrations from the sound causing the sand underneath to tremble and flutter. Still, Frisk was barely managing not to scream. What was this thing? Why was it here? Frisk tried to calm herself down, trying to find something that might help her defuse this situation, but all she could focus on was the thing’s gapping pincers. They were gigantic! The thing could easily snap all of them in half in one bite! And those eyes…. Frisk tried to find any sign of intelligence, any sign of compassion, anything that could mean she could solve this without fighting… But as she looked into those empty, black eyes, Frisk saw nothing… nothing but pure and primal instinct. And pain. So much pain…

“WHAT THE HELL!?!?” a furious and frightened scream from behind Frisk shock her from her panic. Frisk turned her head, and, standing in a broken door and shattered glass, was Lars. He was staring at the creature with his jaw wide open, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “WHY IS THIS THING HERE?!?!”

“Lars!” Frisk turned to see Steven shout at Lars, looking absolutely hysterical. “Get out of the way!”

Lars didn’t listen. He stepped further outside the building, seeming almost confused.

Unfortunately, the creature saw the teenager step out of the building, and it shrieked again. Frisk clamped her hands on her head again, but this time, she felt someone grab her arm and pull her. Frisk managed to open one of her eyes through the painful sound, and she saw that Steven was pulling her along, towards way to the temple…

“Hey big guy!” Steven shouted, looking over at the creature. “Over here! Over here!”

The creature’s head shoot in the direction of Steven. With a snap of its mandibles, it chased after the children, skittering rapidly on its enormously long legs.

“Are you _crazy_?” Kumatora screamed as she ran next to Frisk and Steven, pulling Lucas by the arm. The tom boy looked positively bewildered, and for the first time that Frisk had seen her, there was a trace of terror in her green eyes.

Lucas looked even worse. His blue eyes were wide, and he was gritting his teeth as he struggled to keep up with the other children. His breathing was labored and heavy, though whether it was from fear or the effort of running, Frisk didn’t know. “T-t-that monster’s g-g-gonna eat us!” Lucas sputtered out between breathes.

 “It’s not a Monster!” Steven yelled, as the children ran down through the beach, the termite creature pursuing close behind. “It’s a Corrupted Gem!”

“What do you mean, ‘Corrupted Gem?’” Kumatora shrieked.

Something glinted out of the corner of Frisk’s eye. Frisk turned her head as she ran, looking at the creature that was creeping up on them. It screeched again, snapping its mandibles wildly as it shook its head, scattering its spit everywhere. For a moment, the creature’s head was lowered… and that’s when Frisk saw what glinted.

On the top of the creature’s white head was a clear, cut and polished gem, around the size of a grapefruit.

Frisk turned her to face Steven. “Steven…” she gasped. “What…?”

“GET BACK!!!” Kumatora shrieked, stopping dead in her tracks so fast that Lucas tripped and fell. Before Frisk and Steven could react, the ground in front of them suddenly erupted, and there was another unearthly screech. On instinct, Frisk jumped and planted her feet into the ground, stopping so hard that she managed pull Steven to a halt.

In front of them was another Gem creature. It looked just like the thing that was behind them, except that its shell was a sickly yellow shade. The sun glinted on the top of the creature’s head, and Frisk saw there was a gemstone there, this one full of uneven patches of yellow and green.

“Aagghhh!” Steven screamed. “Another one!”

“Guys…” Frisk heard Lucas whimper. The boy was on his back, looking upwards towards the cliff side, his whole body trembling in fear and his breath heavy and sporadic. He pointed at the cliff. “T-t-there…”

_Oh God. Please don’t tell me…_ Another screech answered Frisk’s fears, the horrible sound coming from above. Frisk snapped her head in the direction that Lucas was pointing at, and there, climbing down the cliff side on its wiry legs, was a third termite creature. This one was a deep blue shade, and on its forehead was a round, cut and polished, azure gem.

“Guys…” Lucas whispered so low that Frisk almost didn’t hear him. His voice was wavering, his body was trembling even worse than before, and there were tears forming from the corner of his eyes. He looked like a baby that was ready to start bawling at any moment. “We can’t get away… What are we gonna do...?”

Frisk wanted to answer his question. She wanted to tell Lucas that everything was going to be alright… that they could make it through this. But at that moment, all Frisk could focus on was the growling of those… Corrupted Gems… their furious screeches of agony… their snapping mandibles… the gemstones on their foreheads, glinting in the sunlight, and yet so dull and empty… the skittering of their legs as they creeped their way towards them… They would be on top of them in a minute…

Frisk’s heart raced. What were these things? Steven called them Corrupted Gems… were they Gems, like the Crystal Gems? Were these the Gems from Homeworld they were talking about? If so, why were they so different from them? The Crystal Gems were like people… these were like animals… ferocious, wild animals, that didn’t care about who or what they killed…

Suddenly, Frisk heard a low, dangerous growl, coming from right beside her. She jumped, thinking that another creature had appeared right next to her, but the growl came coming from Kumatora, who was crouching low to the ground, her rainbow gloved hands balled into fists. All traces of fear or terror had vanished from her face… At that moment, her eyes were lit with that same fire that had filled her eyes back when Frisk had first seen her. “We _fight!_ ” Kumatora snarled, swinging her right arm behind her.

Frisk’s stomach churned at her sudden ferocity. She was going to try to fight these things? She couldn’t! They were so much bigger than them, and if what Steven said was true, they were like Gems! Beings that were much stronger than any human! They couldn’t beat them!

“You can’t fight these things!” Steven cried, looking practically hysterical. “There too strong for you!”

“Says _who?”_ Kumatora snapped, turning her glare in Steven’s direction.

Despite its intensity, Steven ignored the pinkette’s glare. He stepped in front of Kumatora, and a pink circle of light burst from his belly right in front of him, solidifying into a shield. Steven caught the shield and held it out in front him, as if to shield Kumatora from the yellow termite.

Steven…. He was trying to protect them… No…. he couldn’t do it…. Not on his own…

“We have to run!” Frisk cried. “We’re in way over our heads!”

“Look around you!” Kumatora yelled back. “There’s nowhere to run _to_! It’s either do or _die_!”

Frisk looked around, frantically trying to find a way out of this situation. In front of Steven, the yellow termite… behind Lucas, the white termite… on the cliff, the blue termite… Their long legs were taking up the whole beach. Frisk was almost certain that _she_ could make it… but what about the others…? Could they really manage getting past them…? Especially since Lucas and Kumatora were pure-blooded humans, and those things were some sort of Gems…

Wait… they were some sort of Gem…

“Maybe we can reason with them!” Frisk yelled.

“Do these things _look_ like they can be reasoned with?” Kumatora growled incredulously, not taking her glare off of the yellow termite.

“Steven, you said they were Gems!” Frisk said.

“I said they were _Corrupted_ Gems!” He yelled. “They’re not like the Crystal Gems. Something went really wrong with them, and now they’re like horrible monsters! They’re dangerous!”

“But are they intelligent?” Frisk pressed. “Can they think and feel?”

Steven blinked, his face falling slightly. He looked… sad… “I…. I don’t know…” he answered.

“What do you mean?” Frisk insisted.

“There was one that I managed to tame for a bit.” Steven quickly said. “I talked to it, and we became friends. But it went crazy a little bit after I released it!”

Frisk’s heart slowed as she processed what he just said. Steven talked to one? He… tamed one? That meant… they could talk them…. Sure, it was a long shot… but talking out her battles in the Underground turned out very well. Sure, she had _died_ a few times, she killed her friends quite a few times, and she wiped out everything in the Underground quite a few times, but everyone was alive in the end! That’s all that mattered! If she could talk her way out of the Underground, she could talk her way out of this!

“Then let’s try again and talk to them!” Frisk declared.

“Are you _crazy_?” Kumatora cried.

“Steven, you said you tamed one.” Frisk said. “Can you do it again?”

Steven lowered his shield for a second, as the yellow termite stomped on its leg. “I… I want to… but…”

“FRISK!!!” Lucas shrieked, scampering back as the leg of the blue termite reached the base of the cliff. The creature shrieked again, and the other three creature joined in, creating a terrible, mind-numbing call that shook the cliff side.

Frisk was out of time. She needed to act _now_!

“Talk to the yellow one!” Frisk shouted, and with that Frisk ran past Lucas, towards the white termite.

“You IDIOT!” Kumatora shrieked. Frisk ignored her, placing herself just in front of the termite’s two front legs. The termite’s mandibles snapped as she did so, and Frisk could feel the movement of air with the head so close. She flinched and for a second, she hesitated, wondering if this was a good idea.

“FRISK!” Lucas yelled again, and that was all Frisk needed to hear. She had to do this. They couldn’t fight these things. There was no other way out this.

Frisk was filled with determination. She reached deep inside herself, summoning all the charisma and authority that had saved her in the Underground, finding anything that could make herself convincing, and looked at the termite dead in the eye.

“Stop!” Frisk called.

To Frisk’s surprise, the creature stopped. Its spectacled eyes settle right on Frisk, as if the termite was… curious… That could only be a good sign…

“Please…” Frisk pleaded, holding out her hands in front of her to show that she didn’t have sinister intentions. “You’re… a Gem, right? If that’s true… please… let’s talk…”

The creature cocked its head to the side, looking at Frisk as if it was curious. There was a flicker in the creature’s eyes… one that she had seen in many of the Monsters when she had talked them down in the Underground. For a second, Frisk thought got through to it…

But as quickly as the flicker came, it vanished. The white termite shrieked at Frisk, the force of the sound wave nearly blowing Frisk off her feet. Frisk’s heart leapt to her throat as the termite lifted its right leg high in the air, and swung it down upon Frisk’s direction, trying to impale her. Frisk leapt out of the way with a scream, the sharp end of the leg embedding itself into the beach.

“Why are you attacking us?” Frisk cried. Her ear drums wept as the screeching of the other two termites hit them, and Frisk heard a heavy clang and the other three of Frisk’s friends screaming. Frisk snapped her head to her friends for a second to see that Steven was blocking the yellow termite’s leg, and was pinned under his shield. Kumatora was growling again, and she had her hands raised and her eyes closed, as if she was concentrating. Lucas was completely panicking, his eyes wide in terror, rooted to the ground as the blue termite raised its leg above its head….

“Lucas!” Frisk screamed, immediately rushing over to the boy’s direction. Just as she started, the blue termite’s leg came down upon Lucas…

Just before the creature’s leg skewered the boy, Frisk tackled him to the side, knocking them both out of the way. The leg skirted past the two children, digging a shallow pit into the sand.

“Idiot!” Kumatora screamed. Frisk couldn’t react to her, as the blue termite struck again, just missing Frisk and Lucas. Frisk scrambled to her feet, only to see the white termite coming towards her. Her heart leapt to her throat. She couldn’t deal with both creatures. Not while dragging around Lucas…

A familiar ring filled Frisk’s ears. Then, Frisk heard Kumatora shout “PK FIRE!”

Two tongues of orange flames erupted from behind Frisk. The two termites screeched as the fire hit them, scorching their bodies with small bursts of flame.

“Get out of here, you worthless bugs!” Kumatora snarled as she ran beside Frisk. The sight of her at the moment made Frisk gasp. In her right hand was bright orange flame, and her left hand was crackling with a blue swirling mist, with white ice crystals forming and breaking in the swirl. To Frisk’s confusion, there was streaks of yellow light coursing around Kumatora, streaking around her body like… electricity? But the display of power made Kumatora’s hair stick up on end, and her teeth were bared with the ferocity of a bear… or a tiger. Either way, she looked positively feral…

Apparently, the termites agreed with that notion, because they skittered away, screeching. The white one towards the city ran towards the city, while the blue one crawled back up and around the corner of the wall.

“Yeah!” Kumatora screamed. “You better run!”

“Holy…” Frisk squeaked, utterly speechless. Her brain was still reeling from the fear she was feeling from coming within inches of another death, and now she just witnessed… that…. Somehow, Kumatora, that little girl, had displayed so much power that she scared away those creatures… Where did that power come from…?

“Guys!”

Frisk turned. Steven was still pinned under the termite’s legs. The termite kept trying to push the boy back with its leg, but somehow, despite the creature’s immense size, Steven still held his ground with his shield. Apparently, being half Gem did wonders for Steven’s strength. Still, judging from the way Steven was sweating and gritting his teeth, it was not easy.

The creature screeched and started banging against Steven’s shield with its other front leg. Steven’s teeth gritted even further, and to Frisk’s horror, he took a step back. Frisk didn’t know how strong Steven was, especially since he was half human, but she doubted he could keep his ground forever…

“Get out of here…” Steven groaned. “I’ll hold it here…”

“We’re not leaving you!” Frisk shouted.

“But what about the other termites?” Kumatora said, facing the town. “Someone needs to take care of them, or they’ll destroy the city!”

“But we can’t leave Steven alone!” Frisk turned to the pinkette. “He’ll die!”

“AAAGGGHHHH!!!!”

The termite had knocked Steven’s shield into the ocean, and sent Steven flying towards the children. Frisk heard Lucas scream as the termite lunged towards them, its mandibles reaching to snap them all in half….

The mandibles were mere inches from Steven’s face before something blew the creature to side, knocking it into the ocean. The thing that hit termite stopped in the spot that the creature had been.

It was Garnet, with her gauntlets out and her glasses glinting in the sunlight.

“Steven! Get them out of here!” Garnet said.

“Garnet!” Steven cried. It was a little too late, as the termite skittered on its legs, turned over on its back, and got itself upright. The creature screeched and crouched low, as if about to pounce.

Garnet got to a fighting stance as the creature charged. However, she didn’t end up having to attack, as a ball of fire launched from nowhere and knocked the termite back into the water.

“Children!” a familiar, soft voice bleated from above.

Frisk looked up towards the voice, and above them, falling towards them at an abnormally slow speed, was Toriel. The goat woman land gently on the ground, the sand beneath her blowing up in a gust of wind. Apparently, Toriel had used some sort of levitation magic to slow her descent…

“Mom!” Frisk never thought she would ever shout that word with any sort relief.

“Frisk!” Toriel turned toward her. “My chidren! Are you…?”

Her mother was interupped by the shrieking of the termite. Toriel screamed, clamping her hands over floppy white ears, gritting her teeth as if in pain. Frisk cringed in sympathy. No matter how awful that sound was for her, it had to be a thousand times worse for Toriel, whose senses were a lot stronger than a human’s.

“What in the world?” Toriel bleated, turning to face the creature. “What is this creature? I’ve never seen a Monster like it…” Frisk saw Toriel tense up suddenly. “Wait… is that gem on its forehead?”

The termite reared its head, as if about to charge, but Garnet was faster. The Gem thrust her fist toward the creature, and her gauntlet burst from her hand in a puff of smoke, flying like a rocket towards the termite. The termite had no time to dodge, and the gauntlet crashed into its face with a loud crunch.

Toriel leapt back with a yelp at the violence. Garnet’s face remained completely impassive, as she stepped to the goat woman’s side. “It’s not a Monster.” Garnet said blankly, either ignoring or not noticing Toriel’s frightened expression. “It’s a Corrupted Gem.”

The fright on Toriel’s face turned to horror. “A… Corrupted Gem?” she gasped. “What… what do you mean?”

“I mean exactly that.” Garnet said. “A Gem that’s been corrupted in the mind and body.”

“That _thing_ used to be a _Gem_?” Kumatora cried, her eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Yeah.” Steven said, rubbing his head from the blow the termite gave him. He stared at the termite thrashing in the water, looking positively dejected. “They used to be Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst but now… they’re like animals. They’re scared of everything and they’re lashing out at people.”

“That’s awful!” Toriel gasped, putting her hands over her mouth in shock. “What in the world happened to them?”

“The war.” Garnet bluntly replied. Frisk looked at the tall Gem, trying to get some clue as to what she was thinking, but with the glasses covering her eyes and her lips at a completely neutral position, Garnet didn’t look sad or disturbed. She just looked stern, emotionless, and completely focused on the Corrupted Gem in ocean…

Frisk looked at the yellow termite in the water. It had been over turned on its back, and now it was flailing around its long, spindly legs, shrieking as it desperately tried to find its footing. Seconds ago, it had been a fearsome foe that was just seconds away from snapping them all in half. Now, it couldn’t even stand up straight. It was just… pitiful.

“Is… there anything we can do?” Frisk asked, looking up at Garnet, hopefully.

Garnet shook her head. “At the moment, we don’t have a cure. All we can do now is destroy its physical form, and bubble away the gem so that it can’t hurt itself or anyone else.”

Frisk blinked. “What do you mean, ‘destroy its physical form?’”

Garnet turned to Toriel. “Mrs. Toriel. You’ve fought our kind before. Care to give a demonstration?”

Toriel turned toward the Gem. They stared at each other for a second, and then Toriel nodded gravely.

“Stand back, children.” Toriel commanded, stepping in front of the group. Frisk did so, and the rest of the children followed, staring at Toriel with curiosity. Garnet remained where she was, intently looking at the Boss Monster and the Corrupted Gem.

Toriel closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in concentration. Then, Toriel clenched her hand, and Frisk felt at tingling run down her back as flames burst between her fingers. Toriel swung back her arm, and with a loud growl, she flung a ball of flame at the creature’s head. Frisk expected it to crash into the termite’s skull, but to her surprise, the ball screeched to halt right in front of the creature’s face. Toriel clenched her outstretched hand into a fist with roar that made Frisk flinch from the ferocity of it, and the ball of flame exploded with a deafening boom, expelling a column of white mist and boiling water.

“Mom!” Frisk cried. The creature had been helpless! “You didn’t have to kill it!”

“It’s not dead.” Garnet said, without a trace of emotion or panic. The Gem walked into the ocean and bent down, placing her hands into the water, as if searching for something.

“Frisk.” Toriel said gently, crouching down to Frisk and placing her hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry you had to see that. But Gems aren’t like humans or Monsters. Do you remember what Pearl said about the nature of a Gem’s life?”

Frisk blinked, thinking back to the day that they had meet the Gems a week ago. It was difficult, considering all that had happened, but she was able to get a vague recollection.

“The gem is all that a Gem is…” Frisk said.

“Yeah!” Kumatora chimed in. “Pearl said that the gemstone that a Gem has the soul inside it and that the physical body was just a solid illusion made of magic!”

The gears in Frisk’s mind started to turn. “So… if the body is destroyed…”

“The Gem is still alive.” Garnet answered. “So long as the gemstone is intact, the Gem will reform its body.” She stood up, pulling a small yellow gem from the still boiling water. Garnet looked down at the gem, and a sliver of a smile formed on her face. “I’m impressed, Ms. Toriel. You managed to defeat the creature with an explosion without damaging the gem…”

“What are you going to do with it?” Toriel asked. “It’s going to reform soon, is it not?”

“Yes.” Garnet replied. “So I’ll just…” Suddenly, a red bubble appeared around the yellow gem, floating above Garnet’s hand.

“This will stop the Corrupted Gem from reemerging.” Garnet answered before anyone could ask. “And this…” she tapped the top of the bubble, and the bubble and the gem vanished into particles of light. “Sends the gem into the Temple, where it will be safe.”

“Huh.” Kumatora grunted. “I take it you do this often then.”

Garnet nodded. “What do you think we spend all this time protecting the Earth from?”

“So…” Lucas went, still trembling somewhat from the fight that just occurred. “You’re protecting the Earth from yourselves…”

For the first time that Frisk had ever seen her, Garnet flinched, and she turned to look at Lucas, frowning.

Before Frisk or Garnet could respond to what Lucas just said, a loud shriek cut through the air, followed by a boom. The party turned their heads to the city, and sure enough, there was smoke rising some distance away.

“We can talk later.” Garnet said. “Right now, we need to protect the city.”

….

From the way the people were running and screaming their heads off about “disgusting bugs”, it wasn’t very hard to figure out where the termites were.

It took a few minutes of running to get there. Garnet lead the way, with Steven and Frisk keeping pace right behind her. Toriel and Kumatora able to keep up a few feet behind them, though from the way they were struggling to breath, it wasn’t easy for them. Lucas unfortunately, fell behind very quickly, shouting for the rest of the group to slow down. Eventually, Toriel had enough and decided to pull Lucas the rest of the way by the arm. The boy kept up better after that, but Steven could see his cheeks redden as he struggled to keep up.

Steven’s heart sank. All he had wanted today was make friends with children his age. But instead of having fun with exploring all of the city with Frisk, Lucas, and Kumatora, all that happened was that they learned that Steven killed his mother and he gave them food that they didn’t like. Now, the city was in danger, and the kids were caught up in all of this. Even if they got out of this, they probably wouldn’t want to hang around him again….

The scream of a passing citizen snapped him out of his daze. The sounds of destruction were getting stronger, and Steven saw could see from the holes in the concrete and destroyed buildings that they were getting close.

With that, Steven did what he did best and put his concerns in the back of his mind. People were in danger, and he had to help save them. He couldn’t let himself get distracted by his own problems.

The people were running away from Dewey Park, and there, stumbling around the Mayor Dewey Statue on their huge legs, were the blue and white termites. They were shrieking even more loudly than before, to the point that Steven was surprised the windows of nearby buildings didn’t shatter from the intensity. The citizens of Beach City, some of whom that Steven recognized as shop keepers, were scrambling to get away from the park, as the termites crushed cars and trees underneath their feet, boring holes into the earth whenever they took a step.

“Found them.” Garnet said, sliding to a stop. Seeing this, Steven followed suit, along with Toriel and the rest of the children.

“Obviously.” Kumatora grunted with a glare, clenching her gloved hands. Kumatora put her fists to her side and started marching towards the termites in the park, but a white furry hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.

“And just what do you think you’re doing, young lady?” Toriel demanded.

“Going in there to kick their asses?” Kumatora shook the hand off her shoulders, raising an eyebrow at Toriel. “Save the city like we were going to anyway?”

“And just what are you intending to fight with?” Garnet asked, looking at Kumatora. Steven knew that many people couldn’t tell what Garnet was thinking through those glasses, and admittedly, even he had trouble reading Garnet from time to time. But from the quizzical tone in Garnet’s voice, she was watching Kumatora intently.

In answer to the Gem’s question, Kumatora snapped her fingers. Steven felt his gemstone vibrate as orange flames started dancing in the girl’s fingertips.

“Fire, ice, whatever I could throw at them.” Kumatora replied.

“Kumatora…” Toriel said sternly, in a way that reminded Steven of Garnet when she was in leader mode. “You have made some progress in learning how to harness your magic, but you are still untrained. Your magic could fail you at a pivotal moment, and that will cost you your life. I will not allow you to risk that.”

Kumatora gave a low growl at that. “So you just want me to sit on my ass and do nothing?”

“To put it bluntly, yes.” Garnet answered, taking a step forward towards the screeching termites. She turned to face the children. “Steven, stay here and protect the children. Me and Ms. Toriel will take care of the Corrupted Gems.” She paused, turning to look at Toriel. “I assume you know how to fight?”

“I’m well versed in elemental and combat magic.” Toriel clarified. “I’ve been in a few fights, both official duels and in the war. I can fend for myself just fine.”

Garnet nodded, and then looked back at Steven with that small, confident grin that instantly dispelled all of Steven’s fears. “Sit tight, kids. It’ll be over in a second.”

Steven smiled back at her. If Garnet was that confident, there was no way things would go wrong. “Okay.”

Toriel ruffled Lucas and Frisk’s hair. “Don’t do anything foolish now.” she said, not without a hint of affection in her voice. She gave Kumatora a firm squeeze on the shoulder, before stepping next to Garnet. “After you, Gem.” She said, a coy smile forming on her face.

To Steven’s surprise, Garnet chuckled at that, “Just stay behind me, Monster.” With that, the two women marched towards the termites, without a trace of hesitation or fear.

“Can… they really beat those things?” Lucas asked, the fear and anxiety making his voice quiver.

“Don’t worry.” Frisk said. “Toriel’s as sweet as they come, but her fire magic is nothing to scoff at. She can easily beat any Monster I’ve seen.”

“But these aren’t Monsters…” Lucas said.

“Hey, don’t be like that!” Steven interjected. “I know you’re scared, but with Garnet here, you have no reason to be! She’s the strongest there is!”

“He’d probably feel a bit better if we were helping with the fight…” Kumatora grumbled.

“W-w-what?” Lucas stammered. “I don’t want to hurt anyone!” Steven could definitely sympathize with that feeling. He didn’t like hurting anyone either, even other Corrupted Gems. Sure, they were wild and violent now, but they weren’t always like that. And because Steven couldn’t cure them, they had no way of knowing the people they used to be…

“Well, you don’t have to.” Steven told him.

“They’re starting.” Frisk said.

 Steven looked up to see that Garnet and Toriel had stopped right in front of the Corrupted Gems and were staring them down. The two termites stopped screeching and turned their heads, facing their two new adversaries.

Garnet bent her knees, raising her gauntlets in a fighting stance. “You take the blue one.” She said to Toriel. “I’ll take the white one.”

Toriel nodded. “Can you manage on your own?”

A sliver of a smile formed on Garnet’s face. “Of course. I held my own against your husband, didn’t I?”

Toriel glared at the Gem. “He’s _not_ my…!”

Suddenly, the termites screeched and lunged at them, the blue one at Garnet, the white one at Toriel.

Garnet flipped, jumping over the blue termite’s jaws, before launching herself off of the top of the creature’s head, smashing its head into the dirt. Toriel snapped her fingers, and an explosion burst in the jaws of the white termite just before it snapped her in half. The white termite screeched, skittering away from Toriel with smoke in its jaws.

Toriel scoffed as Garnet landed beside her. “How rude.” Toriel said. “They didn’t wait until we were finished talking.”

“They aren’t exactly of sound mind.” Garnet said.

“Pity.” Toriel said, raising her hand towards the two stunned termites. “I suppose the kindest thing I can do is end this quickly…”

“That actually lasted longer than I expected.” Frisk said as fire started to dance between her fingers.

“No…” Kumatora said. “Something’s not right…” The grave tone making Steven turn to face her. The pinkette had a finger under her chin, and much like when he first saw her in thought, Steven could practically see the gears turning in her head. Steven had no way of knowing exactly what she was thinking, but it was clear that Kumatora had perceived something that he hadn’t seen, and she was observing everything around her to try to find what that thing was.

Then, a rumbling started under Steven’s feet. Steven blinked, unsure if it was really there, but after a second, he still felt it, and from the way that the other children’s faces fell, they felt it too.

“There’s something underneath us!” Kumatora shouted.

“Mom!” Frisk cried. “Garnet!”

Toriel and Garnet turned around, confused, but it was too late. Before any of them could react, the ground erupted in a column of dirt and concrete. A horrendous scream pierced the air, and the thing lashed out at Toriel and Garnet, knocking Toriel to one side and Garnet to the ground.

“Another one!” Kumatora shouted, flames bursting into her hands. As the dirt spilled off and the creature crawled out of its hole, Steven saw that it was indeed another gigantic termite, this one pink in color. It must have hidden where the other termites came out of, and stayed behind when its friends emerged.

“Ms. Toriel!” Lucas screamed as the creature shrieked again. The other two termites followed suit, having apparently recovered from the injuries that Toriel and Garnet gave them.

“We have to help them!” Steven said, instinctively conjuring his shield from the gem in his belly button. It didn’t matter what Garnet said now. They needed help, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

“But…” Lucas cried. The poor boy looked like he was about to have a heart attack. “What are we gonna do?”

“Get it in there and _fight!_ ” Kumatora yelled. And with that, she dashed towards the termites and Garnet, magic flaring in her fingers.

“Kumatora, wait!” Frisk shouted, running after the pinkette. “Don’t rush in with no plan!”

“Guys, stop!” Lucas cried desperately. But neither of the girls heard her. With a shout, Kumatora swung back her arm and thrust it in the direction of the pink termite. Steven felt the gust of wind burst from Kumatora’s hand, and he saw frost freeze over the beast’s hide. The creature shrieked, reeling away from Kumatora and Garnet.

Steven turned to Lucas. The boy’s eyes were wide and quivering, and Steven could hear his labored breathing as he watched the violence unfold.

Steven felt a pit form at the base of his stomach as he remembered seeing Lucas fight during the battle at Mount Ebott. Despite his small size, he had been powerful enough to blow away Garnet and Asgore by himself. Yet at the end of it all, he cried his eyes out, because he hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone.

“Lucas…” Steven said, placing his free hand on the blonde’s shoulder. “I know you don’t want to fight but…” Steven shifted his eyes to Toriel, who was getting up with a groan as the white termite started heading toward her. “If we just sit here, our friends are going to get hurt. We have to help them.”

Lucas blinked at him. “But… I can’t fight, Steven!” Lucas cried. “I don’t remember how!” Steven sighed internally. Well… it stood to reason that someone who had no memory and hated to fight didn’t know how to fight. Now Steven _really_ didn’t want to get Lucas involved…

Still… what choice did they have?

Steven smiled as widely as he could at Lucas, doing his best to look reassuring. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll protect you. I promise.”

Lucas looked down, processing what Steven said. For a second, Steven was worried that he hadn’t managed to convince the blonde, but then, Lucas looked him in the eyes and nodded. There was still fear in his azure eyes, but now there was something else shining in his eyes. Something like… determination…

“Okay.” Lucas said.

Steven nodded and wrapped his hand around Lucas’s. Then, he turned to face the fight. Kumatora and Frisk were standing by Garnet, facing the blue and white termites. The pink termite was skittering towards Toriel, who was still struggling to get off the ground. Steven trusted Garnet’s skills enough that he thought she was fine, even without a mage like Kumatora supporting her. Toriel on the other hand, he didn’t know what she could do, and she was all alone…

It was clear to Steven where he had to go.

“Let’s go!” Steven cried, and with his shield in front of him and Lucas’s hand in his, he raced to the pink termite.


	10. Battle at Mayor Dewey Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and the other children race to their guardians aid. Can they manage to defeat these fierce foes?  
> No crying until the end... okay?

Steven and Lucas made it just in time. The pink termite had raised its leg above Toriel, getting ready to impale her. Just as the creature struck, Steven let go of Lucas’s hand and jumped, blocking the blow with his shield. His arm ached in protest, but he still deflected the blow entirely.

“Ms. Toriel!” Lucas cried, running to Toriel’s side. The goat woman groaned as she got up, holding her hand in one hand and letting Lucas help pull her up the other. Steven gave a sigh of relief, which was interrupted when the termite struck at him, forcing him focus on defense.

“I’m alright.” Toriel said. Then, Steven heard Toriel growl deeply, and he swore he heard her mutter some words he didn’t recognize. Then, the gem on his belly started to vibrate.

“Steven, stand clear!” Toriel commanded. The vibrations on his gem grew intense, and Steven jumped to the side.

In that moment, a ball of fire flew past Steven, its searing heat hitting him even from his position. The flaming ball exploded, knocking the termite back a few meters. The creature shrieked, but it still stood, digging its legs into the concrete beneath it.

“Nice shot!” Steven cheered, turning to look at Toriel. His smile faded when he saw the dread on Toriel’s face.

“No…” she said. “That should have ended it…”

The termite shrieked, and it tried to charge Toriel. But Toriel didn’t let it, snapping her fingers to conjure another explosion and knocking it back again.

The creature shrieked, prompting a growl of frustration from Toriel. She snapped her fingers, making three more explosions that hit the creature dead on. But the termite still didn’t go down.

“What?” Steven cried. “Why isn’t it poofing?”

“I think this creature is resistant to flame!” Toriel shouted. “We need some support!”

Steven frantically looked to the others. They didn’t seem to be doing much better. Garnet was fighting against the white termite, who was zigging and zagging around Garnet’s blows with ease. The Corrupted Gem screeched at the fusion’s attempt to harm it, and it struck forward like a cobra, trying to bite Garnet in two. Unfortunately for the creature, Garnet was ready for it, her glasses flashing for an instant, and she countered the creature with an uppercut so strong Steven felt the shockwave from where he was standing. The termite was flipped onto its back, screeching in pain as Garnet leapt high into the air and then dive-bombed in the creature’s direction, her fists outstretched in front her. But before she could crush the termite’s form, it lashed out with its legs and knocked Garnet from her fall. Fortunately, Garnet wasn’t hurt by the blow, and she managed to land on her feet like nothing happened.

Meanwhile, much to Steven’s amazement, Kumatora and Frisk were actually doing pretty well for their first time. Frisk didn’t throw a single blow, probably because she knew she wasn’t strong enough to hurt the Corrupted Gem with no weapon, but she was very fast, especially for a human, and she dodged all the blows that came her way with graceful ease. The termite swung with its legs, but Frisk sidestepped without breaking a sweat. The termite tried to bite her in two, but Frisk flipped backwards, leaping well above the reach of the creature’s mandibles. The Corrupted Gem shrieked in fury, and swung out with its legs again, but Frisk rolled out of the way and around to the creature’s side.

While the creature was occupied with Frisk, Steven felt vibrations on his gemstone once more. He turned his head, and saw Kumatora standing a short distance from the scuffle, her eyes closed in concentration and her rainbow gloved hands crackling with… electricity…? The vibrations grew more and more intense, less like a mosquito and more like an electric guitar had been tied to his rose quartz gem. Then, Kumatora’s eyes snapped open, and she thrust her crackling hand out, shouting, “PK THUNDER!”

As the girl shouted, a yellow bolt of lightning burst from her hand with a thundering boom so loud it made Steven jump. The lightning… didn’t actually hit the termite and struck the building behind it. Still, the sudden flash of light and burst of loud noise made the termite flinch away from Kumatora and Frisk.

“Holy…!” Frisk exclaimed as she jumped to Kumatora’s side. “How did you…?”

Steven couldn’t contain himself. “That was amazing!” he shouted at Kumatora, not even caring that she had missed the shot entirely.

“Steven!” Garnet cried. “The pink one!”

 _Oh no._ Realization hit Steven, making him turn his head back to his fight, just in time to see the pink termite charging them. Toriel’s explosions weren't effecting it at all, and it was rushing right through them to Steven’s direction. On instinct, Steven raised his shield to block, but it was too late. The termite made contact with Steven’s shield just as he raised it, and the immense force from the termite’s head impacted it as such an angle that it knocked his shield off his arm and hit him square in the chest.

Steven screamed as he was knocked several feet away, cursing himself for getting distracted from the fight. He hit the ground hard, dazed from the impact. The back of his mind knew he had to move, but he was just too dazed…

Steven’s vision cleared just enough to see the termite’s mandibles approaching him fast. He barely had enough time to register two female voices crying “STEVEN!” as the mandibles closed in around him….

In the back of Steven’s vision, there was a flash of yellow, blue, and red…

The termite’s mandibles were inches away from Steven’s flesh before the yellow, blue, and red thing knocked it upwards, away from Steven, and kept it there. There was a groan… a human groan, and Steven blinked, the lens in his eyes shifting so that he could clear his vision and get a better look at what saved him…

Standing right in front of him, holding the termite’s mandibles apart above his head with his bare hands, was Lucas.

  Steven gasped. What was Lucas doing? There was no way he could fight that thing! He was just human… Wait… how was he doing that?

Steven blinked to make sure he was seeing it properly, but his eyes weren’t deceiving him. Lucas, the human child who was even smaller than Steven, was holding back the jaws of that Corrupted Gem. From the pained grimace he gave and the red filling his face, it was clearly taking a lot of effort, but the blonde held his ground, and with a grunt of effort, he pried the termite’s mandibles further apart.

“Steven…” Lucas groaned. “Go…”

“Lucas…” Steven gasped. “How are you…?”

He did the wrong thing again. The creature bucked, knocking Lucas off balance and tossing him away. Lucas landed with a cry, and the creature raised its leg high into the air, preparing to impale on one of the boys…

Another boom of thunder rang through the air. White-blue lightning slammed into the pink hide of the termite and knocked it away, the Corrupted Gem shrieking all the while.

Steven turned his around to face the source of that blast. Standing tall, with a furious snarl on her face, was Toriel. Vapors were curling from her finger tips, and Steven saw electricity spark between the fur on her hand.

“That’s quite enough out of you!” Toriel roared, pulling electricity into her fingertips to prepare another blast.

Before she could even point her fingers, she was interrupted. “BON-ZAIIIIIIIII!!” a voice screamed.

Shining blue spears of light rained down on the pink termite, just as a purple blur slammed into the white one, knocking it away several meters. The pink termite shrieked, but a ball of orange light came come from the right and hit it right in the face.

Steven looked at the direction the projectiles had come from, and laughed in joy at the sight.

Running in their direction were Pearl, Undyne, and Papyrus.  Pearl’s face was fixed into a deadly serious glare, with her still steaming spear held out in front her, ready to defend against any potential attacks as she ran into battle. Undyne, meanwhile, had her spear held over her shoulder as she ran, and her sharp teeth formed a wicked smile, like she was utterly thrilled to be there. Between her teeth and the eyepatch, she looked utterly menacing. Just behind her was Papyrus, who was dressed in that plastic armor he was wearing when Steven first met him and a long red scarf that fluttered behind as he made a dash for the fight, swinging his arms and legs madly. He didn’t seem to have a weapon, but the confident grin on his face made Steven feel reassured.

Steven heard a sound like tire shrieking on the ground. He turned to where he saw the purple blur, and standing where the blue termite had been standing moments ago, was Amethyst, grinning maliciously as she conjured her whip from her gem.

“About freaking time!” Kumatora yelled, running to her side and getting back into a fighting stance. As she said this, the blue termite shrieked at Amethyst, which prompted the rest of the termites to shriek in horrible harmony.

Kumatora groaned and put her hands to her ears. “What took you idiots so long?” she demanded, as Papyrus ran ahead of Undyne and Pearl, to the Kumatora and Amethyst.

“WE HAD TO MAKE SURE THE MONSTERS WERE OKAY, AND GET THE REST OF THE TOWNSPEOPLE TO SAFETY!” Papyrus screamed, his loud voice making Kumatora cringe even more. “BUT FEAR NO LONGER! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HER TO ASSIST YOU!”

The moment he said that, the blue termite swung its leg at him.

“Papyrus, out of the way!” Frisk shouted, tackling the skeleton just before he was impaled.

As this was happening, Undyne and Pearl made leapt high into the air, around the height of a telephone pole, before land right between Steven and the pink termite.

“Need a little help, kids?” Undyne laughed, spinning her spear in hand before tapping the bare end on the ground.

“Guys!” Steven cried, stumbling onto his feet. “You’re here!”

Pearl spun her spear and got into a fighting stance. “We’ll take it from her Steven. Go help Garnet and the others.”

“That goes for you too, Toriel!” Undyne shouted at the goat woman. “Your fire’s obviously useless against this one! Pick another one!”

Toriel nodded, and then turned to Steven. “Steven, let’s assist Garnet! She’s fighting alone!”

Steven blinked, and he nodded at her. “Let’s go!”

With that, they made a dash for the white Corrupted Gem. The pink termite made a moved, and Steven’s heart leapt. It was trying to stop them! But before the creature finished, a spear was hurled right at the creature’s face, making it shriek and turn to face the source.

“Hey you insect!” Undyne shouted, a cocky grin forming on her face. “Yer fight is with me! Leave them out of it!”

There was a shriek, and Steven heard the clash of weapons.

“Now’s our chance!” Toriel shouted, gripping Steven’s hand and pulling him along even faster. They made it past the pink termite, to Steven’s relief. But his relief was immediately deflated as he saw what was going on with the white termite.

Garnet had gotten pinned in between the creature’s mandibles as it tried to bite her in half. The fusion had been able to catch the mandibles with her gauntlets, but she was struggling to keep them pried open. Whatever kind of Corrupted Gem that white termite was, it was a lot stronger than it looked.

“Garnet!” Steven cried, summoning another shield. He felt his muscles groan at that, and he saw spots dance in his vision, but it didn’t matter! He had to help his guardian!

Screeching to halt, Steven threw back his arm, and with a cry of determination, he threw his shield with every ounce of strength he could muster. The rose disk soared through the air so fast that it blurred, much like how Amethyst did when she performed a rolling attack, and hit the termite on the head with a loud _thump_!

It didn’t do much damage, but from the way the Corrupted Gem shrieked, it hurt a lot. Its mandibles released Garnet, who wasted no time in knocking the creature away with a punch.

“Are you alright?” Toriel shouted, as Garnet jumped back to her and Steven’s side.

“Fantastic.” Garnet said dryly, as the termite struggled to get back on its legs.

“Let me finish this.” Toriel growled, bringing her palms close together over her chest. Orange flames flared in between them, shaping itself into a tiny ball of fire.

“You’re going to need more power than that.” Garnet said flatly, as the white termite finally found its footing.

Toriel gave a grunt of frustration. “Can you delay the creature as I concentrate? I just need a few seconds.”

Garnet nodded. “Steven, back me up.”

“Okay Garnet.” Steven replied. He to do this! He had to protect everyone…!

Another rose shield flashed from Steven’s gem, and he grabbed it, raising it in front of him. A wave of fatigue hit Steven as he did so, but he ignored it, looking at the termite right in its many eyes.

“Let’s go!” Garnet commanded. With that, she charged the termite, with Steven running by her side.

The termite shrieked as the duo approached. The termite swung its legs, but Steven was ready for it. He thrust out his shield, intercepting the attack. Steven grunted in pain as the impact numbed his shield arm, but he managed to keep his footing and stop Garnet from being hurt.

Garnet took advantage of the distraction that Steven provided and rushed to the termite, flinging back her fist. With a low, threatening growl, she struck the creature right in face. The termite shrieked as it was knocked back a bit, but Garnet didn’t stop. She assaulted the termite with a series of blinding punches across the face with her gauntlets.

The termite shrieked again, snapping its mandibles to try and stop the Gem, but Garnet jumped high out of the creature’s reach. Then, Garnet dove at the termite head first, fisted hands straight ahead of her, and she crashed right into the creature’s left mandible. Steven’s stomach churned as he heard a sickening crack, just before Garnet and the creature disappeared behind a puff of sand.

Steven heard the termite shriek so loud that it blew the dust cloud away, and he pressed his hands to his ears to drown out the din. Steven opened an eye to look at the damage (when did he close them…?) and he screamed. Garnet was in one piece (thank god!) and had back flipped away from the creature’s head, but the creature was missing its left mandible! Garnet had hit the termite with such force that she snapped the mandible right off!

“Garnet!” Steven cried, his heart sinking as he heard the termite shriek.  It was in so much pain! He knew that they had to poof the termite, but they didn’t have to hurt the Corrupted Gem that badly!

“I’m ready!” Toriel called.

Steven turned to face the goat woman. The fire ball between Toriel’s hands was huge! It was bigger than Steven himself, and Toriel had to stretch her arms wide to hold it. Toriel’s crimson eyes were glowing brightly, and her mouth was twisted into a wicked snarl. The vibrations on Steven’s gem were so intense that it felt like Onion was beating on his stomach and chest.

“GET DOWN!” Toriel roared, raising the ball of fire above her head.

“Steven!” Garnet yelled. Steven barely had time to register the pitter-patter of feet before he was scooped up by hands like stone.

With a throaty growl, Toriel flung the ball at the injured termite. The creature didn’t even have time to shriek before the ball exploded into a sphere of orange-yellow inferno that consumed the termite. The shockwaves rippled through the air, with such force that Steven was sure that he would have been knocked down if Garnet wasn’t holding him. As the fiery ball swelled to the size of Steven’s house, the circumference just a few meters away from Steven and Garnet, the heat from the flames hit Steven, so hot that he started sweating in an instant. Then, just as quickly as the sphere of flame appeared, it fizzled away, leaving a ten-meter circle of blackened earth in its place. All that was left of the Corrupted Gem was the clear white gem in the middle of the scorched earth.

Steven swallowed in shock at the sight. For all the time that Steven had seen her, Toriel was just a sweet old lady! Sure, she was a seven-foot-tall goat lady, but she was so polite and nice! She even took in three kids that she barely knew into her house to raise them! But now… she had looked so… ferocious! It was just like when he saw King Asgore in the mountain. One moment, he was just a silly, kind hearted king, but when his family was threatened… he nearly killed Garnet… Him, an earthling… had made a Gem fusion look like a joke… And now Toriel, the goat woman who, as far as Steven knew, had no combat training, and yet was crushing Gems left and right…

Steven looked up at Toriel. Her hands had been lowered down to her hips, and her dress was fluttering in the tailwind that was still left from the explosion. She no longer had that snarl on her lips and her crimson eyes weren’t glowing anymore. For a moment, she looked beautiful and she carried herself with the grace of the queen she once was. She didn’t look like she wouldn’t have been able to hurt anyone. But when Steven looked into her eyes, he saw that the fire hadn’t left...

_For the first time in millennia, another race of beings was actually putting up a fight against Homeworld..._

Were all Monsters this powerful? Is this why Homeworld had been desperate to get rid of such a wondrous race? If so… how on Earth did humans ever stand a chance…?

“FOR GOD’S SAKE, STRINGBEAN! HIT THE DAMN THING!”

Immediately, Steven snapped his head to face the source of the shouting. Undyne was thrusting at the pink termite with her spear from behind, dodging the back legs trying to knock her back. Pearl was taking the termite from the front, slashing with her spear and dancing around the flailing legs. A short distance behind her was Lucas, who was looking intently on the situation, but Steven could see his teeth clenching and his eyes widening in anxiety.

 Neither of the warriors were able to cut the thick hide of the creature, but judging from the way the termite was shrieking, it was annoyed. After a few seconds of this clash, the pink termite snapped at Pearl. Fortunately, the Gem managed to pirouette away before she was poofed.

“I am!” Pearl cried, blocking a few strikes from the termite with her spear. “This beast has a strong hide! We can’t cut it!”

“THEN LET’S SMASH IT!!!!” Undyne shouted. The knight flipped backwards, jumping over the sweeping legs. When she had some distance on the creature, she spun her spear and tossed it into the air. Then, with a ferocious growl from the back of throat, Undyne rushed at the creature so quickly that she was just a blur. Her shoulder slammed into the creature’s back with such force that the termite was knocked away. Pearl barely had enough time to flip over the creature before it crushed her as it fell.

If it were any other situation, Steven would have been deeply impressed by the display of strength. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to think about it… because the termite had been knocked right in front of Lucas! Lucas flinched, but he didn’t move, looking at the creature in fearful wonder as the termite’s mandibles began to twitch…

“You FOOL!” Pearl yelled at Undyne as she landed. Undyne had a horrified look on her face, not even looking away from the termite and Lucas as she caught the spear she had thrown.

“LUCAS!!!!” Toriel screamed, running towards the battle with fire in her hands, despite that fact that it wouldn’t affect the termite. Steven ran after her, his heart pounding in his chest, desperate to get there in time.

 But it was too late. Steven heard Lucas give a horrible scream, and the mandibles snapped together!

Steven’s heart stopped dead, and his legs gave out in the middle of running. He… didn’t make it! Lucas was… Lucas was…!

“L—l-lucas?!?” Toriel bleated.

Steven looked up from the ground, dreading the mess that was sure to meet his eyes... but what he saw was far more shocking.

Lucas was still standing, not having been snapped in half like Steven thought he would have. No… the boy had actually managed to catch the mandibles with his bare hands once again!

“What the?!?” Pearl cried, dumbfounded seeing the human boy holding the mandibles of the Gem termite.

“Woah!” Undyne went, running towards the fight.

The termite shrieked, pressing forward against Lucas, trying to overwhelm the boy with its sheer weight. Lucas groaned, and for a scary second, Steven thought he was going to lose his grip again. But this time, Lucas stood his ground, and pushed back, forcing the mandibles just above his head. Then, Lucas wrapped both his arms around the left mandible, and started to tug on it.

“What’s he doing?” Pearl shouted.

“Toriel!” Undyne yelled. “Hurl another lightning blast!”

“I can’t!” Toriel shouted back. “It might conduct along the creature and hit Lucas!”

“God, you’re as useless as you were in the Underground!” Undyne growled. She turned to face the termite, who was still struggling to force its way out of Lucas’s grasp. “Keep it down, Blondie! Me and String Bean will attack with all our might!”

Hearing this, Pearl leapt to Undyne’s side and spun her spear. “All right!” she said as she and Undyne got into a running position. “Ready… steady… GO!”

Both knights gave a war cry as they charged at the termite’s side. As she ran, Pearl leapt ahead, spinning as she kicked creature’s side. At the same time, Undyne dashed even faster, screaming as she delivered a simple side kick right next to Pearl. Both blows connected at the exact same time, and the termite was sent flying.

Suddenly, a loud _sssnnnnaaaapp_ rang in Steven’s ears. It sounded like the crunching of bone, and it sound like it came from…

“Lucas!” Steven screamed as he saw what had happened. Lucas had fallen on his rear, but other than that, he was unharmed. However, in his hands, he was holding… a black mandible….

Another shriek filled the air, but this one was wavering a bit, almost like the source was… pained. Steven looked to the pink termite, and sure enough, the left mandible was no longer there, a pathetic little stump taking its place. Lucas had still been holding onto the termite’s jaw when Undyne and Pearl knocked it away. Somehow, he had been strong enough to keep holding on and plant his feet into the ground so that he didn’t get moved. So when the girls had knocked the termite in the opposite way Lucas was holding it…

“My god…” Toriel gaped, her paws clamped over her mouth.

“How…?” Pearl murmured, staring at the stump on the creature’s face with wide eyes. “How did he…?”

“Damn kid!” Undyne cheered, walking up to Lucas, who was staring at the mandible still in his hands in utter disbelief. Undyne clapped her hand against Lucas’s shoulder. Unfortunately, she ended up knocking the boy down to the ground on his face. The mandible fell out of Lucas’s hand and poofed into smoke, vanishing completely into the air.

Undyne took no notice. She had a huge grin on her face as she stared down at Lucas, who got up with a moan. “You have some muscles for a little human runt! Way to go!”

“How?” Pearl suddenly shouted, turning to glare at Lucas, making him flinch.

“I…” Lucas mumbled. “I don’t…”

“How did you hold it in place?” Pearl demanded, not noticing or caring how uncomfortable and nervous Lucas looked. “You shouldn’t have been able to do that!”

“Calm down, String Bean!” Undyne yelled, putting a hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “The kid didn’t do anything wrong!”

“He’s a human!” Pearl insisted “He’s weak! He’s fragile! So how did he…!”

A piercing screech interrupted them. Steven turned, and the termite was back on its feet, rubbing the new stump on its face with its legs. It made a series of small noises, almost like… whimpering… before shrieking again. Then, it leaned its body backwards…

“It’s gonna charge again!” Lucas cried.

“Get ready!” Pearl ordered, getting her spear into a fighting stance.

“Okay, that’s it!” Undyne shouted suddenly, making Steven and the rest of the group flinch. “ _I am so done with this fight!_ ” With a growl, Undyne swung her spear in the termite’s direction just as it started charging. The termite froze suddenly, and it fell right on its face, collapsing a short distance from Pearl.

“What the…?” Steven wondered. He took a step forward, and as he looked closely, he noticed a faint green glow around the pink termite’s gemstone…

“Undyne?” Steven asked. He turned to face the knight, as sure enough, Undyne was glaring intensely at the termite. It was almost as if her mere gaze was paralyzing the creature. Steven was about to ask how she was doing that, but then he remembered when Undyne fought Pearl. Just like here, she had swung her spear and blocked Pearl’s movement…

“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!” Undyne bellowed, snapping Steven out of his thoughts. “SOMEONE FREAKING KILL IT!!!” It was then that Steven saw the sweat pouring from Undyne’s scrunched up face. Whatever magic she was using, it must be taking a lot of effort to hold down something so big.

“With pleasure!” Pearl declared, spinning her spear again. She closed her eyes in concentration, humming as she brought the tip of her spear level with the gem on her forehead. A white glow appeared on the tip of the spear, but instead of inflating into a ball like Steven expected, the glow instead expanded over the blade of spear. With that, Pearl’s eyes snapped open and she spun her spear again, the blade now covered in a white-hot light.

“I’ll finish this!” Pearl shouted, leaping at the downed termite. Pearl swung her spear, and instead of bouncing off the creature’s face harmlessly, it cut through the hide with a sizzle, making a glowing gash on the termite’s face. The creature shrieked, but Pearl kept going and sliced off the termite’s other mandible like butter. The termite tried to knock Pearl down with two front legs, but Pearl simply cut right through them with blinding speed. Then, Pearl leapt high into the air, right above the termite, and with a shrill cry, Pearl came down on the creature full force with her spear, piercing right through its head.

The termite’s shrieks suddenly stopped, and its body arched as the pain from the impalement sank in. Then, the termite’s body went slack, and without warning, the creature exploded into smoke.

“And another one down!” Pearl cried triumphantly as she landed where the termite had been.

“Way to go, Pearl!” Steven cheered.

“Not bad, String Bean!” Undyne called.

Pearl turned to grin at them… only for a screaming skeleton in white plastic armor crash into her and knock her down to the ground.

“Papyrus!” Steven heard Frisk shout. The girl in the stripped sweater dashed to the skeleton’s side, who was sprawled on top of Pearl, moaning in pain.

“Get off me you brute!” Pearl cried, shoving Papyrus off, sending him flying to the side.

“Pearl!” Frisk cried as Papyrus landed on his head. “That was way too rough!” She ran after Papyrus, leaving Pearl shuddering on the ground in disgust.

Steven looked to where Papyrus had been knocked from. The blue termite was still standing, and the only ones fighting it where Kumatora and Amethyst. Amethyst was trying to get in close, but the termite kept whirling its legs around, which made it difficult for her. Meanwhile, Kumatora kept her distance, looking for an opening to strike with her magic. Her gloved right hand was glowing with bright orange flames, and she had an intense glare on her face.

The termite shrieked, flailing its legs around to try and get Amethyst away from it. The purple Quartz tried to dodge the attacks, and indeed she managed to jump around five of them, but the sixth strike caught her square in the stomach, knocking her away to Kumatora’s side.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kumatora cried. “You have a _whip_! You don’t need to get so close!”

“Ugghhhhh…!” Amethyst groaned. She leapt back onto her feet, glaring coldly at the termite. “That’s it. No more playing around!”

“Finally!” Kumatora exclaimed. The flames in her hand disappeared, and in its place…electricity arched through her fingers…

“Keep it down while I focus!” Kumatora said, as she raised two fingers level to her eyes. “I want to end this in one shot!”

“Gotcha!” Amethyst replied, pulling out another whip from the gem in her chest. With a strange mix between a growl and a roar, Amethyst dove towards the termite and rolled at supersonic speeds. The termite tried to catch her with one of its legs as she moved, but it was far too late, and Amethyst rolled right underneath the creature, stopping right behind its back legs.

Before the termite could react, Amethyst lashed with both her whips and wrapped each one around one of the termite’s hind legs. Amethyst gave a mighty pull with both arms, and the termite’s legs were immediately pulled back. The creature shrieked, trying to dig in with its other four legs to keep its balance, but Amethyst kept pulling, grunting and groaning from the strain. Then, with a forceful tug and a shout from Amethyst, the termite fell on its stomach.

“Do it now, Pinkie!” Amethyst shouted.

Kumatora grinned maliciously as electricity crackled in her right hand. Once again, Steven could feel the vibrations from the magic resonating on his gemstone, and now, he could even smell ozone coming from Kumatora’s direction as she raised her hand.

“This is gonna hurt!” Kumatora crowed, her voice betraying the excitement she had in getting ready to strike the creature down. Then, she thrust her hand forward, shouting “PK THUNDER!”

There was another thunderous boom as yellow lightning poured forth from Kumatora’s hand. This time, the bolt struck dead on target, and the creature shrieked like it was being tortured as electricity crackled through its body. After a few seconds, the lightning stopped, and the blue termite moaned, before its entire body went limp and poofed into smoke, leaving its gleaming gem behind.

“Hah!” Kumatora said, clenching her fist in the air with an ear to ear grin. “Serves you right!”

“We did it!” Steven cried, jumping in the air in his excitement. He was about run over and congratulate her when the sound of someone moaning wiped the smile off his face. He looked to where it was coming from, and he saw Amethyst, clenching her stomach in pain. For some reason, her hair was sticking up on end in a purple puffy ball.

Kumatora’s grin faded, turning into a look of concern. “What happened?” she asked.

Amethyst groaned, looking up to glare at her. “I was still holding the thing when you fried it with that lightning. The electricity when right through my whips and into me…” As if to confirm her statement, Steven saw a small spark of electricity travel through her now frizzly hair.

“Shit!” Kumatora cried, her whole body cringing in sympathy. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”

“It’s fine.” Amethyst grunted, patting down her puffy hair with one hand as she leaned down to grab the blue gem. “No harm done.”

“Uh!” Pearl gagged, walking over to the pink gem to grab it. “It’s just like you to make light of such a reckless action.”

“I said ‘no harm done’!” Amethyst protested as she and Pearl bubbled the gems they were holding. “At least she actually beat the thing!”

“Still…” Pearl said as the two tapped on the bubbles they created, making them disappear in a flash of sparkling light.

“UUUUGGGGHHHHH….!” A familiar, high-pitched and rattily voice moaned.

“Shit!” Undyne cried. “Papyrus!”

Steven turned, and sure enough, the skeleton was limping his way to the group, one hand holding his head and the other being held by Frisk, who was pulling him along.

Undyne ran to them. “Papyrus, are you okay?” she shouted. “That was a wicked blow you took.”

“NO NEED FOR CONCERN…” Papyrus replied, his voice a good deal more quiet than usual. “THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS… UNHARMED…” The minute he said this, Papyrus collapsed to his knees, his hand over his abdomen bone.

“Ummm…” Frisk looked over to Toriel, Lucas, and Steven, her brown eyes full of concern. “Medic?”

Toriel walked over to Papyrus her hands glowing with a greenish-yellow light. “Where does it hurt?” she gently asked, her glowing hands hovering over his abdomen.

“STOMACH…. AREA…” Papyrus groaned.

Toriel nodded and placed her hands on his abdomen, her hands glowing a little brighter. Papyrus gritted his teeth and groaned, but as the light washed over the spot, his breathing became more steady, and the grimace on his face relaxed into that familiar smile.

“AHHHHHH….” Papyrus went, as Toriel released her hands. “THANK YOU, ASGORE’S CLONE!”

Toriel shot a glare at the skeleton. “It’s ‘Toriel’ dear.” She said, just barely keeping the ice from her voice.

“OK! THANK YOU, MISS TORIEL!”

Toriel sighed and kneeled down to Frisk, placing a hand on her shoulder. “My child… are you unharmed?”

“Yes mom.” Frisk said with a nod of her head.

Toriel turned to the other three children, including Steven. “Are the rest of you unharmed as well?”

“Okey-dokey!” Steven said, smiling with stars in his eyes.

“I’m okay.” Lucas replied, looking down and fidgeting his hands nervously.

“Perfect.” Kumatora said, grinning confidently with her hands on her hips.

“Good…” Toriel sighed. A smile of appeared on her face. It was small, and he could see Toriel’s fangs dangled from the top of her muzzle, but the sheer relief behind it made Steven’s heart feel a little warm inside…

Then, without warning, Toriel growled and moved her hand with blinding speed, slapping all four of the children in the face. The goat woman might not have been as strong as Asgore physically, but the sheer force of the slaps knocked each child off their feet with ease.

“OWW!!!” the children cried. Steven gripped his stinging cheek, shocked at Toriel’s sudden aggression after she looked so sweet. Frisk was in a similar position, holding her left cheek as she looked up flabbergasted at her mother. Kumatora glared up at the goat woman, giving a growl of frustration of her own, while Lucas was shaking where he was knocked down, looking terrified to his core.

Steven couldn’t blame him. Toriel was looming over all four of them, her smile crumbled away into a vicious glare. Her sharp teeth were bared, her fur was standing on end, and the pupils in her crimson eyes had narrowed into slits, like a cats’.

“Dude!” Amethyst growled, pulling her hand to her gem to pull her weapon. Pearl didn’t even bother saying anything, raising the spear she already had in her hand at Toriel with a glare. But much to Steven’s shock, Toriel either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“What on the Dragon’s green earth were you doing?” Toriel roared. “We told you to _stay put_ and what did you do? Run in there with swords swinging straight into the creature’s jaws! What could have _possibly_ run through your minds that made you think that was an intelligent thing to do?”

“Gee…” Kumatora said, standing up and looking at Toriel dead in the face. Her voice was low, like an angry cat. “I don’t know, Goat Mom. Maybe it was ‘Oh, our parents are  going to die! We should help them!’

“That doesn’t matter!” Toriel insisted. “You are children! It’s not your duty to jump into the claws of death to protect others! What if any of us had been a second late? What if you had gotten killed?”

At this, Toriel’s voice cracked, and tears started to flow from Toriel’s eyes as she continued to shout at them. “I don’t care if you see us or anyone else hanging over a cliff with an army standing above and the fires of hell raging below! NEVER, EVER DO THAT AGAIN!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” a voice screamed, like it was being attacked by wolves. “Please don’t hit me again Dad!”

Toriel stopped dead, as did everyone else.

The one who had screamed was Lucas. The blonde had curled into a ball on the ground, and he was pressing his hands against his ears. He was shaking, and there were tears running from his eyes and down his cheeks. Lucas sobbed, and that was when Steven saw something behind the boy’s wavering blue eyes. Something sadder than he had ever seen before. Something painful beyond words. Something…broken…

 “I’m sorry…” Lucas sobbed to nobody in particular. “I’m sorry for being so weak… I’m sorry I couldn’t be better…”

All traces of anger vanished from Toriel’s face, replaced by guilt and anguish. “No, no, no, Lucas.” Toriel said, her voice much quieter than mere seconds ago. She went over to the boy and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. “I’m sorry…. I shouldn’t have struck you… It was unfair to place you in that position to begin with…”

“I’m sorry…” Lucas whispered, his voice still trembling from whatever had been going on in his mind.

“For being weak?” Undyne said suddenly. She looked much more serious than Steven seen before, but there was something gentle in the fish Monster’s eye.  “Kid, you just held down a termite monster five times your size. I don’t think that qualifies you as weak.”

“You did great.” Garnet said, walking over to them. To Steven’s surprise, she took of her glasses, revealing her three eyes. Lucas looked up at her from Toriel’s arm, blinking tears from his eyes. Garnet smiled at him, and though he didn’t smile back, his breathing became more steady.

Garnet looked back at the other children, smiling, and ruffled Steven’s hair. “All of you. You did great. Though…. I’m a bit frustrated that you didn’t listen to us… but I have to admit, we would have had a harder time if you hadn’t got involved. Thank you.”

Steven’s cheeks burned a bit at this. He had been helping the Gems with fights and missions for a while now, but he still wasn’t used to genuine praise. Not false reassurances after a bad job, but real, hard earned praise. “Thanks Garnet.” Steven said.

“Thank you!” Frisk said.

“Ummm…” Lucas muttered, looking down, his cheeks reddening. “Thanks…”

“You’re welcome!” Kumatora piped, which prompted glares from Frisk and Pearl. Kumatora either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

Toriel sighed, releasing Lucas and looking around the lot. “This… is quite a mess.”

She wasn’t wrong. There was dirt and shards of concrete and glass scattered everywhere in the park, and the termites had destroyed large pieces of the buildings, uprooted several trees, and broken up the roads before the group had arrived. Somehow, the Mayor Dewey Statue had managed to survive the battle unharmed, but as for everything else…. It was going to take a while to clean up.

Garnet put her glasses back on, not responding to Toriel. “Let’s let the humans know that the Gem Monsters have been taken care off.” She said.

Pearl and Amethyst nodded at her. They dispelled their weapons in a flash of light, started walking away.

“INDEED!” Papyrus shouted. “LET’S LET THE GOOD CITIZEN’S KNOW THAT THEIR CITY IS SAFE AGAIN! THANKS TO OUR EFFORTS, OF COURSE!”

Undyne snorted at him with a grin. “Trying to impress someone, Paps?”

“EVERYONE OF COURSE!” Papyrus replied. “COURAGE AND SERVICE ARE GREATLY ADMIRED TRAITS! THE HUMANS IN THIS CITY WILL SURELY LIKE US MONSTERS NOW, THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!”

Undyne blinked at him as they started walking. “Yeah…” she said, impressed. “I guess so.”

“Come now children” Toriel said, looking at them. “Let’s go.” She took Lucas’s hand in hers and started walking, but Garnet grabbed her by the shoulder.

“I don’t know who you think you are, or what you think you’re trying to do.” Garnet said, her glasses flashing for a second. Her voice was low and dour, and all trace of her previous pride had vanished. “But it is not your place to discipline Steven. If you ever lay a hand on him again, you and I are going to have a problem.”

Toriel blinked at her, looking at the Gem peculiarly, and then nodded. “I understand.” She said. “Forgive me for overstepping my boundaries. I… let my emotions run away with me.” Toriel looked away, as if trying not to look at anyone of them in the face. “Again…”

Garnet nodded back. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No crying until the end, I'ma right? Yeah... remember what I said about head canons? This was one of the things I was talking about. While it wasn't spelled out in game that Lucas' father ever actually hit him, the Mushroom trip on the island hints that either something bad actually happened between them, or at the very least, Flint was in such a bad mental state that Lucas genuinely feared it. Either way... it's not pretty.


	11. Heartache....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the battle with the Corrupted Gems, Lucas and Kumatora get a glimpse into Toriel's checkered past...  
> No crying until the end, okay?

"That was some awesome technique back there, String Bean," Undyne said, grinning with her sharp teeth.

"Thank you," Pearl said, smiling back. "You weren't too shabby yourself."

“Seriously, when could ya do that lightsaber shit with your spear?” Undyne asked.

"Always," Pearl said. "Since when could do other magic than those spears? With the way you used that holding magic, it almost looked like strategy."

“First of all, I could always use that magic! I used it on you when we fought, in fact! Second of all, ‘it almost _looked_ like strategy?’ I know how to fight beyond throwing spears, ya know?”

“From how you fought me, I thought otherwise. But it seems I was mistaken.”

“Well, don’t assume ya know everything when ya first meet them.”

The two warriors kept talking as the group walked toward the hill. Frisk heard them laughing, even as they took a few more shots at each other. Frisk smiled at that. Despite their differences, it seemed that they could get along so long as they were talking about fighting. Maybe they could teach each other a thing or two about their craft.

Speaking of teaching someone a thing or two…

“PK Thunder?” Frisk asked, turning to face Kumatora.

“Hm?” Kumatora replied, looking at Steven as they walked. Frisk had walked ahead of them, with Lucas at her side, but she could still hear what the two were saying.

“That magic that you used…” Steven said. “You shouted PK Thunder.”

Kumatora blinked at him and then shrugged. "I guess I did."

“And earlier, when we were ambushed by those termites alone, you shouted PK Fire when you lit them on fire.”

“What’s your point, kid?” Kumatora asked, raising a pink eyebrow.

“W-w-well” Steven stammered for a moment, before feigning a cough to regain his composure. “I guess what I mean to ask is… how did you do it?”

Kumatora blinked, and then looked at the ground in thought. “I’m… not sure…”

Frisk stopped for a moment, letting Steven and Kumatora catch up to her, before continuing to walk. “That doesn’t make sense.” She said. “You’ve been using magic all day, and unlike before, it was intentional. There’s no way that you can’t know how to do it…”

Kumatora frowned at her. "That isn't entirely true. Sure, I did those moves on purpose, but… I don't think that's all I could do. It's like I'm only tapping into a fraction of my power. Like I'm not remembering all my stuff. And anyway, if you want me to explain _how_ I did it, I couldn’t tell ya. Even if I had all my memories.”

“What do you mean?” Frisk asked.

“It’s… hard to put into words, ya know?” Kumatora said. She turned to look at Steven. “Can _you_ tell me how ya summon your magic shield?”

Steven blinked at her. "Well… I kind of…. I sort of…" he paused, taking a breath before continuing. "My powers respond to my emotions. Whenever I see someone in danger, I just…. I _have_ to protect them! My gem reacts to that, and my shield just… comes to me.”

Kumatora nodded. “I guess my powers’ a little like that. I just focus on thing I want to act on, imagine whatever I want to do to it happening, and then the power just… comes to me. Other than the concentrating, I don’t really have to think.  I just… feel it.”

"Huh," Frisk said. That…was disappointing. Honestly, she didn't know what she had been expecting. Kumatora and Lucas were the only human mages around, and since she had been using her powers so effectively, Frisk had been hoping that Kumatora would have been able to provide some insight as to how magic worked. Ever since she fell into the underground, magic had become a central fixture in Frisk's life, and she tried to learn as much as she possibly could, especially since she had her own brand of strange powers. Her determination to find out more had only intensified when she met Lucas and Kumatora.  They were living proof that magic was still a part of the human race. Unfortunately, all of the Monsters that she knew had been too busy moving Aboveground and dealing with the politicians, and she hadn't wanted to get in the way. And now, it seems that Kumatora wouldn't be able to teach Frisk very much. That only left…

“What about you, Lucas?” Frisk asked, turning to him. The boy flinched at the sudden sound of his name. Judging from the red in his eyes, he was still reeling from Toriel yelling at him. Frisk looked at him sympathetically, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey… are you okay?”

Lucas nodded, rubbing his eyes. “I’m fine.” He replied, his voice still shaky, but overall more stable than it was moments ago. “What was it you wanted to ask me?”

Frisk blinked at him, still concerned. She liked him, really she did, but Lucas was a terrible liar. He seemed to have forgotten what he had yelled in his panic…   

_I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please don’t hit me again, Dad!_

_I’m sorry for being so weak..._

Frisk barely suppressed a shudder. Toriel had meant well, and she hadn't truly wanted to hurt him, but when she hit Lucas, she triggered something in him. Just like when Lucas and Kumatora remembered each other's names at the sight of one another. Just like when Lucas reacted when Steven told him about his mother. A dormant, distant memory, buried deep inside of his soul… but unlike the others, whatever Lucas had recalled, it wasn't pleasant…. And if the what he said wasn't distorted by the amnesia… then who in the world could have raised someone like Lucas but have hurt him so badly?

“So…” Frisk began, hoping to get Lucas to feel better. “How do you use magic? Is like Kumatora? Do you just imagine something and it happens…?”

Lucas’s eyes shift a bit as he thought. “I… guess so. Though… it’s not quite like how Kumatora does it… I think. I can’t do what she does.”

Frisk was puzzled. “What does that mean?”

“The… _spells_ …” Luca’s voice gagged a bit at that, almost like the word tasted bad, before continuing. “PK Thunder, PK Freeze, PK Fire…. I can’t do them. I can try all I want, but I just can’t do them.”

“Huh? But… why? I thought magic was just something you studied.”

"Search me," Kumatora said. "It's just the way that it is for him. To be fair, I can't heal worth a damn either."

“How shocking.” Frisk deadpanned. Kumatora wasn’t a _bad_ girl, but she didn't seem like the healing type. "Still, that means that both of you have things you can't do."

Lucas nodded. “I… don’t remember very well… but, I can’t use my powers like Kumatora can. I’m not… good at hurting people…”

“Bullshit!” Undyne shouted at them. Frisk looked, and apparently, Undyne heard them talking and had waited for them. Strangely, despite her volume, there was levity and jest behind her words, and there was a sharp-toothed grin on her face.

“I saw ya knock down King Asgore with that crazy, colorful blast when we first met ya!” Undyne said, looking at Lucas. The boy flinched at her sudden shouting, but Undyne didn’t seem to notice. “And you were strong enough to hold down that thing back there! If anything, you’re great at hurting people!”

Lucas blinked at Undyne’s words, and Frisk saw his whole body shudder before he took a breath. “That…” Lucas said. “I didn’t use magic in that fight…”

“Get out!” Undyne’s eyes widened in surprise. “You mean to tell me that all of ya just was your own strength?”

“I… think so…” Lucas said.

“Damn kid…” Undyne said. “You’re amazing.”

“So…” Steven said. “What was that spell called?”

“What?” Lucas replied.

“That colorful spell you used against King Asgore.” Steven clarified. “What was it called? I mean… Kumatora’s spells had names, so…?”

“PK…” Lucas frowned. “PK… PK… I don’t know.”

“The spell is called PK I Don’t Know?” Undyne asked, incredulously.

"No," Lucas said. "I don't know the name."

"Huh," Undyne grunted.

Steven looked a bit disappointed, but he shrugged. “Oh well.”

They reached the hillside, and they weren't alone. Gathered all across the settlement, Monsters of all shapes and sizes stood, clamoring among themselves as they watched the city. Some were humanoid, but with traits of animals like dogs or cats. Some looked like various inanimate objects, but with faces and movement. Some didn't look like anything Frisk had ever seen before. About the only thing they had in common was the fear on their faces as they looked onto the city. Apparently, they had been watching the termites rampaging from the settlement, and had been too scared and confused to do anything. Frisk couldn't blame them. They had just moved to the Underground after suffering a genocide. Just like how the humans were scared of them, it would be natural for the Monsters to be scared of something unknown.

At the bottom of the hill were the human citizens of Beach City. To Frisk's surprise, they didn't look that scared, except for the man she recognized as Mayor Dewey. _He_ was hysterical as he shouted at the citizens with his megaphone, but everyone else, they looked oddly unfazed. Most were looking at their city with only mild concern and surprise. Some, like the boy Jamie and Sadie, had awe written all over their faces. Others, like Lars and a few of the adults, looked bored and aggravated. 

When Mayor Dewey noticed them, he immediately ran to them, along with a few angry adults. All of them started yelling at the group at once, so Frisk couldn’t make heads or tails of what they were saying. It certainly made Lucas uncomfortable though, judging from the way he shrunk behind Toriel’s legs.

Fortunately, Garnet was able to take control of the situation. “One at a time.” She said calmly, but firmly. “We can’t hear with all of you talking at once.”

“What on Earth was going on down there?” Mayor Dewey cried, flailing his arms.

"Corrupted Gems were attacking the city," Garnet said. "The Crystal Gems stopped them…" Garnet looked towards Toriel, Undyne, and Papyrus. "With some help from a few Monsters," she added.

“Yeah, I saw.” Mayor Dewey said, folding his arms with a glare. “What took you took you so long to beat them? The priceless statue of Mayor Dewey the first was nearly destroyed!”

"I'm sorry," Amethyst said, without a trace of sincerity. "Do _you_ want to battle the Gem Monsters while _we_ pretend to run the city? I’m sure you’d do _way_ better than we ever could.”

"Uh" Mayor Dewey choked on his words. He wiped the sweat collecting on his forehead. "Well…"

Ugh!” Undyne glared at the Mayor with her teeth bared. “Who’s the sniveling runt?”

“That’s the mayor.” Steven clarified.

“ _This_ is the leader of this town?” Undyne asked, leaning toward the Mayor’s face with a malicious grin. “I’ve _eaten_ things bigger than this guy!”

The Mayor swallowed, and for a moment, Frisk thought he was going to sweat an entire puddle beneath him. “N-n-no, just a minute you…!”

“Undyne!” Toriel barked. “Stop threatening the humans!”

“Whatever.” Undyne scoffed, rolling her eyes at Toriel.

“Anyway…” Toriel said with a sigh, turning to the mayor and the other townspeople. “There has been some damages, but the threat has been neutralized. It’s safe to go back now.”

"O…okay…" Mayor Dewey mumbled, looking away from Toriel. He looked rather uncomfortable to be talking to her.

"But what about our shop?" one of the citizens stepped forward with a growl. He was a tall, dark-skinned man, wearing a green collared shirt and brown shorts. His hair was molded into a top knot on his head, and for some reason, from where Frisk stood, it looked like a slice of pizza. "Those oversized bugs ruined our building? What are you going to do about that, Monster?"

Toriel blinked at the man, and Frisk could see the irritation behind her eyes before she gave the man a coy smile. "Don't worry my good sir," Toriel said. "We Monsters will help assist you. Your business will be back on track before you know it."

“And how will you and the rest of your kind be of any help?” the pizza-haired man demanded.

A mischievous glint flashed in Toriel's eyes. She walked past the man and the other concerned townspeople, and into the chattering group of Monsters that gathered on the hill. Toriel clapped her hands, shouting "My fellow Monsters! May I, please have your attention?"

The chattering quieted down a bit, but there were still some pockets of noise in some areas of the group. Toriel sighed, placing her hands on her hips in a huff.

It seemed that Toriel needed to be a little louder. "Excuse me," Frisk asked the mayor, pointing at the megaphone in his hand. "May I borrow that?"

"Uhh…" the Mayor looked confused before he nodded. "Sure…" He passed Frisk the megaphone, who then ran to Toriel and passed it to her.

"Thank you," Toriel said to Frisk with a smile, and with she leveled the megaphone to her mouth.

“MY FELLOW MONSTERS!” Toriel’s voice boomed through the megaphone. “MAY I PLEASE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?”

This time, all of the Monsters stopped talking and turned their attention to Toriel.

“AS YOU ARE CURRENTLY AWARE…” Toriel continued. “THE DANGEROUS CREATURES HAVE BEEN SUBDUED, THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF THE CRYSTAL GEMS AND A FEW HELPFUL MONSTERS. HOWEVER, MUCH OF THE TOWN SQUARE HAS BEEN DAMAGED AND DESTROYED FROM THE BATTLE.”

There was a bit of whispering from the Monsters before Toriel continued. "WE MAY HAVE JUST ARRIVED HERE, BUT WE CAME TO THIS CITY WITH THE FULL INTENTION ON LIVING BESIDES THE HUMANS IN THIS TOWN. IF THAT'S THE CASE, SHOULD WE NOT SHOW THEM OUR GRATITUDE FOR ACCEPTING US, THAT WE WILL BE PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF THEIR SOCIETY?"

There was more whispering in the crowd. "Who is this…?" Frisk heard one Monster whisper.

“MONSTERS…” Toriel’s booming voice echoed through the hill, commanding all of the Monster’s attention like the Queen she once was. “LET US SERVE OUR NEW COMMUNITY AND HELP THE HUMANS REPAIR THEIR BROKEN PROPERTY. ALL MONSTERS WHO HAVE GREEN AND BLUE MAGIC, PLEASE STEP FORWARD, SO THAT WE MAY BEGIN RESTORING THE CITY TO ITS PROPER STATE OF BEING!”

At those last words, Toriel's eyes twinkled again, and an enthusiastic grin formed on her face. But the grin quickly disappeared when none of the Monsters stepped forward. Instead, they whispered among themselves in hushed, confused voices.

One of the Monsters came forward. It was a Vegetoid, a moving radish with a face on once side. “Um… excuse me for asking but… who exactly are you?”

Toriel blinked at him, confused. “I’m Toriel, dear.”

Another round of whispering. This time, in addition to the confused voices, some of them sounded… angry…

The Vegetoid gasped. “Toriel? As in… the Traitor Queen?”

Toriel looked like she swallowed a lemon. “Tr…. Traitor Queen?”

“okay…” a familiar, lackadaisical voice said from behind Frisk. “time to go, tori.”

“Sans!” Toriel said in surprise as the skeleton walked up to her and took her hand in his. “What are you…?”

Sans ignored her, turning his head to look at Undyne. “captn’ i believe this a job for you…” With that, he walked to the Crystal Gems, taking a protesting Toriel with him.

Undyne gave a wicked grin, slamming her fist into her hand. “All righty…” she said as she marched forward to where Toriel had been standing.

Undyne coughed into her hand and took a deep breath. Then, she bellowed as loud that Frisk swore that she could have been heard anywhere in the city. “HEY! MONSTERS! SHUT YER FREAKIN TRAPS AND LISTEN UP!”

All chatter ceased immediately, and every Monster turned their attention to Undyne, looking at her with a mix of awe and fear.

"I'M UNDYNE!" she continued. "CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD! AND SINCE HIS MAJESTY, KING ASGORE, IS NOT HERE RIGHT NOW, Y'ALL HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!"

“Undyne?” someone whispered. “She’s here?”

“Yes!” another said. “She’s right here!”

“It’s her!” a third gasped.

“It’s Undyne!” yet another squealed in excitement.

"NOW!" Undyne bellowed as if the Monsters standing before her were a party of her soldiers. "AS THE GOAT LADY SO POLITELY SAID, WE'VE SQUASHED THOSE SORRY BUGS FOR ALL YA! BUT NOW, BECAUSE OF OUR LITTLE FIGHT, THE HUMANS' CITY HAS BEEN DESTROYED THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN! NO THAT DOESN'T SEEM FAIR, NOW DOES IT?"

 "No…" Frisk heard some Monsters whispered. "It isn't…"

“WHAT DO YA SAY?” Undyne shouted, jabbing her fist into the air. “ I’M GONNA SHOW THESE HUMANS HOW TO REPAIR A CITY! ANYONE ELSE WANT IN?”

There were nods and cheers among the Monsters. “Yeah!” one them shouted. “Let’s help Undyne!”

“Let’s help the humans!” another cried.

Undyne burst into a deep, snorting laughter. “ALL RIGHT!” Undyne shouted. “ALL BLUE AND GREEN MAGICIANS, COME TO ME! HUMANS, COME WITH US SO YOU CAN TELL US HOW THE BUILDINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE!”

“And why should we listen to you?” the man with a top-knot said with a glare.

Undyne glared right back. “Do ya want your restaurant back together or not?”

Steven stepped in between them, looking right at the man. "Please, Mister Pizza. They just want to help. You can trust them."

The man apparently called Mr. Pizza opened his mouth to speak, but something pulled at his shoulder. For a second, Frisk thought it was Mr. Pizza's daughter since she was around Steven's height, but then she noticed that the person had gray hair, tied into a bushy topknot. The short old woman was dressed in a green sweater, brown khakis, and a pink scarf.

The old woman looked at Steven. “Steven…” she asked. “Do you and your guardians trust this… people?”

Steven nodded. “Yes. We do.”

The old woman blinked at Steven and then smiled. "Okay…" She looked up at Mr. Pizza. "Kofi, let's give them a chance to help."

Kofi gave the old woman an incredulous look. “But Mama! They’re…!”

“If Steven trusts them, I do.” The old woman said. “Besides, shouldn’t we give the Monsters a chance before we get to know them? Remember how you felt when we first moved to this country…”

Mr. Pizza blinked, looking down at the ground in thought. Then, he sighed. “I hate it when you’re right…”

“You must be full of hatred then.” The old woman said, laughing when her son glared at her.

“Mr. Mayor?” Steven asked, walking up to the rather uncomfortable looking Mayor. “You heard the plan, so what do you say?”

Mayor Dewey frowned, looking back in his citizens uncomfortably. “I…”

_Time to go._

Frisk stepped forward. “Mr. Mayor?”

Mayor Dewey looked at Frisk, and his eyes widen. “You… you’re…”

“Frisk Dreemurr” Frisk finished for him. “Ambassador for the Monsters. I can assure that the Monsters only want to help. If it makes you feel better, the Crystal Gems and I will oversee their activities and give a full report. Does this sound reasonable to you?”

The Mayor thought for a moment, wiping away some sweat from his forehead. “I… guess that’s all right. Just promise me you can keep the citizens safe if there’s a scuffle, okay?”

Frisk sighed in her mind. “Okay.” She said.

“Can I please have my megaphone back?” the Mayor asked.

“Of course” Frisk took the device from Toriel and gave it back to the Mayor.

Mayor Dewey nodded at her and raised the megaphone to his face. "ATTENTION CITIZENS OF BEACH CITY! THE DANGER HAD OFFICIALLY PASSED! IT IS NOW SAFE TO GO INTO THE CITY NOW! HOWEVER, DUE TO THE DAMAGES DONE TO OUR CITY, THE CRYSTAL GEMS AND I WILL BE RECRUITING THE HELP OF THE MONSTERS TO HELP REPAIR IT! WITH THEIR MAGIC, IT SHOULD BE OVER FAST! DON'T BE AFRAID! THEY ONLY WANT TO HELP, AND THE CRYSTAL GEMS WILL BE OVERSEEING THEIR ACTIVITIES! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

There was murmuring of uncertainty among the humans of Beach City. Mayor Dewey sighed, but then said into the megaphone. “GOOD! NOW FOLLOW ME, AND WE’LL BEGIN RECONSTRUCTION!” With that, Mayor Dewey started walking towards the city.

“YOU HEARD THE MAN!” Undyne shouted at the Monsters. “LET’S GET GOING!”

The Monsters cheered as a few of various species followed Undyne down the hill and into the streets. The humans of Beach City exchanged some unsure glances, not sure what to do.

“C’mon guys!” Steven shouted, turning into the direction the others went “Are we going to let them do all the work? That’s our city!”

There was some more uncomfortable whispering. Then, a familiar man stepped forward.

"Yeah, c'mon guys," Greg said, waving an arm forward as he started walking. "We're Beach City citizens! Should we give these people the proper Beach City welcome? We've seen weirder in this city than a few Monsters!"

There were some nods of agreement, and more people stepped forward. Eventually, everyone else started walking to the city, with varying degrees of anxiety.

"Thanks, Dad!" Steven said to Greg, smiling at him.

“Don’t sweat it, Stew-ball.” Greg smiled back, ruffling his hair. “I was just glad I could help.”

"Thank you, both" Frisk said, giving a smile of her own. "You helped me out there."

“How?” Steven asked.

"They seem to trust you, Steven," Frisk said. "That made it easier for them to believe me."

"well," Sans said, letting go of Toriel's hand. "seems steven here is popular."

Steven laughed. "Naw, I'm just friends with everyone in the city."

"same difference," Sans replied.

Toriel stepped next to Frisk and patted her head affectionately. “You did well, my little ambassador.”

Frisk smiled at the compliment. She looked up at Toriel, but then stop when she noticed frown on Toriel’s face. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

Toriel blinked at her. “It’s nothing, dear.” Toriel sighed.

“Ms. Toriel…” Lucas said, concerned.

“What did that Monster mean by ‘Traitor Queen?’” Kumatora asked with an eyebrow raised.

Toriel flinched at the question and then clinched her hands. Frisk looked at Toriel's face and saw that her eyes were trembling. Whatever Toriel was thinking, she was barely holding in her anger.

"Nothing, Kumatora," Toriel said, her voice a low growl. "Just me paying for the mistakes of His Royal Highness..."

"uh…" Sans went. "no offense tori, but weren't you the one who chose to leave?"

Toriel blinked at Sans in surprise and then shot him a glare. "What's your point, Sans?"

Sans shrugged. "just sayin, tori. ya can't expect the monsters to just listen to you when ya order them around anymore. ya gave up that power when ya left the kingdom. far as they're concerned, ya ain't no one's queen."

Toriel blinked at Sans, before sighing once again. “I… suppose you’re right.” She looked up at the city, where the crowd of humans and the Monsters that volunteered to help were getting further and further away. “We should probably go and see what we can do to help out… Besides… weren’t you supposed to be supervising, Frisk?”

“I guess…” Frisk said.

“DON’T WORRY FRISK!” Papyrus shouted. “THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL ASSIST WITH THE REBUILDING EFFORTS!”

“you do that, bro.” Sans said. “i’ll be in the house, unpacking.”

Papyrus gave him a flat look. "YOU STILL HAVEN'T FINISHED UNPACKING? YOU HAD ALL DAY!"

“i feel asleep a few times.” Sans said with a shrug. “for a good hour and a half each.”

“SANS!!!” Papyrus screamed in disbelief, as Toriel and Frisk laughed.

….

Repairing the broken parts of the city turned out to be a surprisingly quick affair. Regarding buildings, there were only five that had their walls and roofs significantly damaged, with about a dozen with a few destroyed windows (most likely from the termites' screeching). With these. The Monsters with green magic only had to snap their fingers (or claws or move whatever other limb they had) The only real problem was the road. When the termites traveled across the city, they tore apart the concrete in the street as they went. While they could put together the surface street well enough, quite a bit of the damage was deep under the ground. Worse, some of the concrete had been eaten or removed by the termites in some other fashion. This meant that either the Monsters would have to shift the earth to cover the holes, or the Mayor would have to call in construction to fill those places with concrete. Mayor Dewey, of course, decided to do the former option. Now, Undyne and a few other friendly Monsters and humans that decided to help were moving dirt and rocks around to fill up the holes. The Monsters were mostly using blue magic to the left around the dirt and set it in place, and green magic to mend broken pieces of concrete. The humans were stuck with running around from spot to spot, shifting the dirt in place with shovels and their hands.

Frisk sighed as she watched them work, leaning against the wall of the house across the street from the park. Lucas and Kumatora were on either side of her, looking at the construction around them. Toriel hadn't wanted them to risk getting hurt helping rebuild, and she especially didn't want them using magic. If the humans saw that they could use magic (if they hadn't already during the fight), it would raise too many questions.

Still, even with magic, it was going to take a bit. Still, maybe it wasn't so bad. At the very least, the humans of Beach City and the new Monster citizens were _interacting._ There, they were mostly working, but they weren't fighting. Some of the Monsters had even been able to strike up a few conversions with the humans.

“Holy Guacamole!” someone cried.

Frisk turned her head to see what happened. The one who shouted was Mr. Pizza, who was staring at the back of his restaurant, holding his head in his hands with a dumbfounded look on his face. His mother, and two dark-skinned teenagers that Frisk assumed to be Mr. Pizza's daughters, had their mouths dropped in awe. A green glow shined on his newly repaired building, before the back door opened, making the light disappear. Out the door came Toriel, who huffed from the effort it took to make the repairs.

"There you go," Toriel said. "Mister…. Pizza?" she raised an eyebrow.

“How…?” Mr. Pizza walked past Toriel and into the building, looking around. “You… fixed it. All of it… the ceiling, the windows… everything…”

Mr. Pizza's mother followed his son, taking a look herself. Her eyes settled on a spot on the counter, and she laughed. "You even got that old coffee stain out! I've been nagging Kofi for ages to clean it!"

Toriel chuckled. "It was nothing. Just a little concentration and the snap of the fingers. I can't stand messes."

“How much do I need to pay?” Mr. Pizza asked, fishing a wallet from out of his pocket.

"Nothing," Toriel said.

Kofi’s eyes widened. “But... you just repaired my entire shop… in less than a minute… I don’t know what you people believe about trade, but wouldn’t you say that deserves some reward?”

Toriel chuckled again. "We do believe in trade, but we also believe that good deeds are their reward. Keep your money. You need it more than I do."

"Wow!" Kofi's two teenage daughters exclaimed at the same time and hugged Toriel. "Thanks, Goat Mom!"

Toriel smiled before she processed what the girls just said. "Goat Mom?"

“Yeah!” one of them said. “Cause you’re a goat, and you’re a mom! That’s what your pink-haired daughter said to us!”

Toriel shot the most unamused glare in Kumatora’s direction. Somehow, Kumatora had the audacity to laugh when she did so.

“My name is Toriel.” Toriel sighed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to elsewhere.”

As Toriel walked away, Kofi ran up behind her. “Wait!” he exclaimed, as he placed something in her hands “At least take this!”

Toriel looked at what the man placed in her hands. They were four green slips of paper, but they weren’t dollar bills. “Are these… coupons?” Toriel asked.

Kofi nodded, and for once he smiled. “For single use, fifty percent off, preserved for special customers. As a ‘thank you’ for repairing the restaurant.”

Toriel smiled at Mr. Pizza. “Thank you.”

Kofi nodded. “You and your kids are always welcome at my restaurant. Unless they do something stupid like try to rob me of course.”

Toriel laughed. “Well, I’ll have to tell them to leave the firearms in the house then!”

Kofi laughed at her joke. “You’re a good mother, Ms. Toriel! And hey, if you and the other Monsters keep up the work ethic, it might rub off on those lazy Crystal Gems!”

Toriel started walking, waving at the family. "I'll see you soon."

“See you soon!” The Pizza family called, waving at Toriel.

Toriel frowned, thinking about what the man had said, but shook it off when she saw Frisk, Lucas, and Kumatora in front of her.

Frisk was the first to spot her. “Hey Mom!” she called. “How are you doing?”

"Just fine Frisk," Toriel replied. "Though…" Toriel looked at Toriel with a penetrating gaze. "I could do with fewer people calling me ‘Goat Mom.'"

Kumatora answered her implied demand with a chuckle, ignoring the glare she got from Toriel.

“How much more do you have to do?” Lucas asked, getting his back from the wall.

"Not very much," Toriel replied. "The buildings have been mostly repaired. All that's left is the road…"

"Yeah," Frisk said in agreement, looking at the humans and Monsters working.

That’s when she noticed something.

“Where are the Gems?” Frisk asked.

Toriel blinked, and then looked around. “I don’t know.” She answered.

“Hey!” Kumatora called. “Steven!”

Steven, who had been helping the humans place dirt in the hole in the road, paused, and then walked to them. "What is it?" he asked.

“Where did your three moms go?” Kumatora said.

"They went back to the temple," Steven said.

Frisk blinked. "They… aren't helping rebuild?"

"No," Steven said. "They never do."

“But…” Toriel was bewildered. “The city was damaged during their fight. They have a responsibility to help repair, just like all the others who acted in the battle.”

“What goes on in the city is the humans’ business.” a familiar voice called.

“Garnet!” Steven cried, as the group turned to see the leader of the Crystal Gems walking to them. “Did you come to help fix the city?”

"No Steven," Garnet replied flatly.

Frisk blinked at her. “I thought it was the duty of the Crystal Gems to protect humans.”

"It is," Garnet said. "It isn't our duty to attend to their cities. This is _their_ city. It’s their responsibility to clean it up. We Crystal Gems can’t do everything.”

Toriel gave her a peculiar look. “If you’re not here to help fix the city, what are doing here?”

"I wanted to talk to you about Lucas and Kumatora," Garnet said.

Tension filled the air at those words. “What about?” Toriel asked.

"Their abilities," Garnet said. "Their magic. Their fighting prowess. I saw how they handled the Corrupted Gems. They're powerful, much more powerful than humans should be."

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Kumatora shot with a glare.

"It isn't," Garnet said, looking at her. "But it definitely isn't normal. Furthermore, was something… familiar about your magic."

“Familiar?” Steven asked. “You mean… you’ve seen it before?”

"I can't put my finger on where, but yes," Garnet replied. "I was hoping talking with you might jog my memory. I'm just here to satisfy my curiosity, not to cause a scene. Besides, if I remember something important, it might benefit Lucas and Kumatora too."

Toriel sighed. “I appreciate the thought… but it’s been a long day, and there’s still work to be done. Can we wait until later?”

"I won't be talking to you," Garnet said, looking at Lucas and Kumatora. "I'll be talking to the kids. What do they want?"

Kumatora suddenly jumped from the wall she was leaning on, crying “I want to…” But before she could finish, she stumbled, struggling to regain her balance. Kumatora groaned, pressing her fingers to her temples.

“Are you okay?” Frisk said, gripping Kumatora’s arms to still her.

“Fine…” Kumatora grumbled. “Just a headache. Must have used my PSI too much.”

Frisk stared at her. “PSI?”

Kumatora blinked. “I mean… magic… I think…?”

Frisk felt Garnet staring at them. “PSI…” she muttered.

“Sorry, Garnet…” Kumatora muttered, looking at the Gem apologetically. “I’d love to talk, but I feel like crap.”

"I'm tired…" Lucas sighed, slumping his shoulders. "I don't think I'll be able to say anything useful."

Garnet looked between the two mages. “All right. Can you meet me tomorrow morning then? At Steven’s house? He showed you where it was, didn’t he?”

"Yes," Lucas said. "He did."

"Good," Garnet said. She looked at Toriel. "Tomorrow morning. At eight o'clock. Can you meet me there?"

Toriel nodded. “I suppose it’s not too much trouble.”

"Good," Garnet said, turning away. She smiled at the children as she walked away. "I'll see you then."

"I can never tell what that Gem is thinking," Toriel said.

"Probably because she hides behind glasses," Kumatora said dryly.

“HEY!”

Frisk turned to see Undyne marching up to them, glaring at them with her one eye. “WHAT ARE YOU DOIN, SLACKIN OFF, TORIEL? YOU FINISHED WITH YOUR BUILDING YET?”

"Indeed," Toriel grunted at Undyne with a disapproving glare. "I rebuilt the Pizza establishment as assigned."

Undyne sniffed. “Huh. Faster than I expected.”

"What?" Toriel asked. "Did you not expect me to know green magic?"

“No” Undyne bluntly replied. “Then again, considering that you spent the better half of a millennium sitting on your ass in your Ruins, I guess you had plenty of time to learn.”

Toriel’s mouth twitched, barely suppressing a snarl. “I prefer sharpening my mind than my spear.” She retorted.

"Whatever," Undyne grunted. A pit formed in Frisk's stomach. Why was Undyne so hostile?

“Thanks for all your help today, Undyne.” Steven said. “First, you helped saved us from the termite monsters, now this.”

Undyne grinned. "Don't sweat it, kid. It's all in a day's work for the Royal Guard."

“Which doesn’t exist anymore.” Toriel huffed.

Undyne glared at her. “Maybe not, but our reputation still stands, and no matter where we are, it’s our duty to uphold our ideals.”

"You mean like the ideal of protecting your idiot of a King." Toriel retorted.

“At least we actually uphold the ideals we claim to stand for.” Undyne shot back. “Unlike _some people_!”

"Why you…" Toriel growled, clenching her hands into fists. Frisk knew she had to act soon. Otherwise, the women would come to blows…

Fortunately, Steven was able to pick up the hostility. “So!” He said to Undyne, trying to change the subject. “You said you were a Royal Guard, right? That must mean you’re really strong, huh?”

Undyne blinked at him. “Yeah. You gotta be strong if ya wanna be part of the Royal Guard.”

“Do they have to be as strong as you though?” Steven asked. “I don’t think I could ever get that level.”

Undyne laughed, ruffling Steven's hair. "Well, kid. I might able  to suplex boulders twice my size, but I think if you train hard every day, one day, you'll be as strong as me!"

“But you were so cool today!” Steven insisted. “You and Pearl took out that pink termite that Toriel and I were struggling with like it was nothing!”

 _Steven,_ _why?!?_

“Well, it ain’t hard to be a better fighter than Toriel.” Undyne replied.

_Damn it!_

 “ _I beg your pardon?_ ” Toriel growled, pushing Steven to the side.

“Got fur in your ears, or do you hear as good as you fought today?" Undyne growled back. The former knight bore her sharp teeth as she shot a vicious one-eyed glare at Toriel. The eye patch made it even more intimidating, and it made Frisk's stomach crawl.

“This creature was resistant to fire!” Toriel insisted. “That’s the element we Boss Monsters are aligned to! Surely your training under _that brute_ taught you that!”

"Well, it certainly wouldn't have stopped him!" Undyne shot back. "You Boss Monsters are supposed to be the strongest of us all! That thing would have been a joke to King Asgore if he were here!"

Toriel growled as her eyes burned with seething rage. “There are other types of strength than the ones that help with _fighting_! I suppose it’s no surprise that you don’t know that since you had the misfortune of training under _His Royal Highness_!”

Undyne shot a malicious smirk at the goat woman. “Yeah? Too bad he’s got ya beat in all those other strengths too! You’re so far behind him, it’s pathetic! At least _he_ actually cares for his people more than his own desires!”

“DO NOT COMPARE ME TO THAT DESPICABLE COWARDLY WELP!” Toriel screeched, making Frisk and the rest of the children leap from their spots. “THAT MISERABLE OAF IS THE REASON WE MONSTERS WERE STUCK UNDERGROUND FOR SO LONG! ALL BECAUSE HE WAS SO WEAK THAT HE DIDN’T HAVE THE NERVE TO FULFILL HIS OWN PROMISES! HE’S A FOOL WHO GOT EVERYTHING IN HIS LIFE HANDED TO HIM, AND IT’S A MIRACLE THAT THE KINGDOM SURVIVED HIS IDIOTIC RULE!”

Everyone in the construction had turned their heads to stare at the Monster who was shouting at the top of her lungs; Frisk could feel their eyes on them as Toriel huffed and puffed, catching her breath after yelling so much.

Undyne blinked, apparently caught off guard by the sudden yelling. Then, Frisk saw something snap inside the former knight. Undyne glared at Toriel with her one eye, but it wasn't the typical, wild and deranged Undyne glare. It was cold and calculating, filled with the intent to harm. Undyne growled from deep in her throat, the pitch so low that Frisk had to strain her ears to hear it. "You…."

“Undyne!” Frisk shouted, fighting down the urge to panic as she ran forward and grabbed the knight’s wrist. “Don’t do it!”

Undyne ignored her, clenching her fists as she glared at Toriel, who was all too keen on glaring back. What were they doing? They couldn't fight! Frisk had to say something, _anything_ , to stop them!

“Please Undyne!” Frisk insisted, tugging at Undyne’s wrist. “They’re just words! They’re not worth it!”

Undyne stopped growling, turning her glare down at Frisk. Frisk shuttered, but she made herself stare right at the fish Monster's face so that she could see her determination. For a second, they just stood there, trying to stare each other down, make the other one step away.

Then, Undyne sighed, returning her glare to Toriel. “Yer right.” She said. “She isn’t worth it. Bitch’s not fit to lick the crap off my boots.”

“What?” Toriel growled. Flames started crawling between her fingers, and for a scary second, Frisk thought she was going to attack.

Fortunately, Undyne merely scoffed at her efforts to be intimating. "Save yer flame for the kitchen," Undyne said with a wave of her hand as she turned her back from the former Queen. "I'm lettin' ya off the hook this time."

The knight turned away, walking near the wall of the pizza restaurant Toriel rebuilt. Then, she looked over her shoulder to glare at Toriel. “But…” she growled. “If you _ever_ insult King Asgore, _my father_ , ever again, I WILL DESTROY YOU!” With a battle cry that Frisk swore was heard throughout the entire city, Undyne smashed the building with her fist, knocking down the entire wall to the back door. A chorus of screaming came from the building, and Frisk saw the Pizza family inside, staring at the broken shards of brick and mortar in shock and fear.

“AGAIN?!” Mr. Pizza cried, pulling at the top knot in his hair. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!

Papyrus ran to the former knight. “U-U-UDYNE???” he stammered out, his entire body shaking.

"CLEAN THAT UP!!!" Undyne bellowed at him. Papyrus gave a few furious nods and started lifting the broken pieces of the building with blue magic. With that, she marched back to the road that was still under reconstruction.

Frisk turned to check on Toriel, and her heart leaped to her throat when she saw the look on Toriel's face. She was gritting her teeth, exposing her sharp white fangs, and she was glaring at Undyne with slit pupils. Even scarier, Frisk could hear the low growling coming from her. She was like a cat getting ready to pounce on a mouse.

“Ms. Toriel!” Lucas cried, pulling the goat Monster’s sleeve.

Toriel shifted her eyes downward to look at Lucas. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she turned away from the construction site with a growl. “Come on, children. We’re going home.” Without even looking back to see if she was being followed, she stormed off towards the hill.

“Wait!” Lucas cried, running after Toriel. “Ms. Toriel!”

"I guess that's our cue," Kumatora said, taking her back off of the wall.  She looked at Steven, who looked like he had just suffered a heart attack and waved. "And on that pleasant note, I will see _you_ tomorrow Steven.”

“Oh!” Steven squeaked as Kumatora walked away. He waved back at her, “I’ll see you tomorrow!” he called as cheerfully as he could.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that," Frisk said sympathetically.

"It's okay," Steven said with a laugh. "Still… what was that just now? Ms. Toriel is so nice. Why would she want to get into a fight with Undyne?"

“Please for the love of God, don’t ask them about it!” Frisk pleaded, unable to keep the desperation out her voice. She wasn’t ready to let _Lucas and Kumatora_ know what happened in the Underground! Steven definitely couldn’t know, especially since he would probably tell people about it!

Steven frowned. “But…”

“Please Steven…” Frisk pleaded again, putting her hands on his shoulders. She _needed_ to get him to understand… “It’s complicated, and if you ask about it, you’ll only make things worse for everyone. What happened was very painful, and if word gets out, it might ruin all that we tried to achieve.”

Steven looked at her in thought, unsure how to respond. It pained Frisk to resort to what she was about to say, but it didn't seem like she had a choice.

“Please Steven.” Frisk insisted. “Promise me you won’t ask about it. We’re friends… right?”

Steven’s eyes widened, and he looked down at the ground in thought. Then, he nodded. “I promise.” He said, uncertainly.

"Good," Frisk said, smiling at him. "I'm sorry, but it's better for everyone this way."

“If you say so…” Steven said, unsurely.

Frisk looked at the hill. Toriel, Lucas, and Kumatora were almost to the hill, but if she left now, she could catch up with them.

"I have to go now, Steven," Frisk said. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Steven gave a small smile at her, blushing a bit. “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

Frisk grinned at him on last time before running to the hill. “Bye!” she called back to him with a wave.

….

By the time that Frisk was able to catch up to them, Lucas, Kumatora, and Toriel had started walking up the hill. Lucas wondered why she had fallen so behind, but he was too focused on Toriel to care that much.

“Ms. Toriel?” he asked yet again. Once again, Toriel didn’t say a word and just kept walking.

“Mom!” Frisk exclaimed, running to her side. “Are you…?”

"Children, please," Toriel said, stopping suddenly to emphasize her point. "We'll talk when we get to the house. Just leave me be for now."

Lucas and Frisk shared a look, before looking back at Toriel. "Okay,"  Lucas said.

“Thank you.” Toriel nodded, before walking again.

No one said a word on the way back. Time must have flown during all that had happened that day because the sun was already hanging over the horizon, and it was getting more difficult to see. The street lights in the city were already starting to turn on, creating a bright contrast with the Monsters’ settlement, which hadn’t had any street light installed yet. Despite this, there were many Monsters wondering the hillside, engrossed in their own activities. Lucas couldn’t help but notice that a few were staring at Toriel, whispering to their neighbors about her.

_The Toriel? The Traitor Queen?_

_THAT MISERABLE OAF IS THE REASON WE MONSTERS WERE STUCK UNDERGROUND FOR SO LONG!_

Lucas frowned. Just what exactly happened between Mr. Asgore and Ms. Toriel? Apparently, Mr. Asgore had done something bad in the Underground, which led to Ms. Toriel leaving him. Since he was King, Toriel went against the will of the one in charge, and thus was branded a traitor. That much was clear… but…  what exactly did Asgore do?  He had been nice enough when Lucas met him. Was Toriel upset that he didn't get them out of the Underground fast enough? That seemed rather unfair. Still, Lucas supposed that if he were looked Underground for thousands of years without seeing the sun, he'd be a little bitter too. Still…

_What in the Dragon’s earth were you thinking?_

Lucas shuddered, rubbing his still-red cheek. Maybe Ms. Toriel wasn’t as nice as he originally thought…

“At last.” Toriel sighed. “We’re home.”

Lucas looked up. Just ahead of them was a large, two-story house. A set of stairs led up to the door, which was built in between two wide windows overlooking a patio. In the fading light, Lucas saw a small round table and two chairs on the left edge of the patio.

“Holy shit!” Kumatora exclaimed. “You and the dogs worked fast!”

"As I said, manipulating matter is a small matter with magic," Toriel replied as she opened the door. "Come in, before it gets dark."

Lucas, Frisk, and Kumatora followed Toriel into the house. They walked into a large rectangular room with stairs leading to the second floor tucked into the right corner, and a hallway on the left wall. Toriel walked through the hallway, taking them to room with a large table in the middle. Four chairs were on each side of the table, and there was a jar with yellow flowers in the center. There was an opening to the right side of the room, leading to a kitchen.

"Please sit," Toriel asked, her voice no longer growling, but still sounding… troubled. "I'll join you in a little while." With that, she slinked off into the kitchen.

Lucas sat down on the nearest chair, and Frisk and Kumatora took the ones next to him. As they did so, the banging of pots and the sound of running water came from the kitchen.

“What’s she doing?” Kumatora asked.

"Cooking," Frisk answered, resting her hand in her arms folded on the table.

“Is… she going to be okay?” Lucas asked.

"She'll be fine," Frisk replied. "Just give her some time."

"Not sure if that's gonna do anything," Kumatora said. "Considering she had a millennium to forgive Asgore."

“Kumatora…” Frisk warned with a glare. “Remember our deal.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kumatora sighed. “I won’t press until you give the go ahead.”

Lucas nodded in agreement. Though, considering the fury that Toriel had shown, he was starting to regret making that particular promise to Frisk. Still, a deal was a deal, and Lucas intended to honor his.

“What’s gonna happen to the city?” Lucas asked to change the subject.

"Well, the city is all fixed now," Frisk replied. "Assuming there won't be any attacks tonight, it should be business as usual in the city tomorrow…"

Lucas frowned. “I feel like we should have been helping…”

Frisk shock her head. "I wouldn't worry about it. There wasn't much the three of us could to do help with repairs, and all I was doing was watching over them, so the humans felt safe. Besides…” Frisk smiled at him “I think helping bring down the Corrupted Gems destroying the city is help enough.”

Lucas blushed at the smile and looked down to avoid eye contact. "I guess that's true…" he said.

They sat in silence for quite some time after that. The only sounds they heard was the clanking of dishes and the sizzling of sauce and some squishing coming from the kitchen. At one point, Lucas started to smell thing sweet baking in the oven.

It felt a little awkward, but Lucas was a little grateful for the quiet moment after the rather hectic day. Eventually, he got bored of staring at the yellow flowers on the table and decided to look around the room.

It seemed that Toriel hadn't finished unpacking because there were two stacks of boxes in the corner of the room.  The only bit of furniture was a bookshelf as tall as Toriel herself, some strange gardening tools on a rack, next to the bookshelf, and a huge reading chair next to a fireplace. The tan walls were completely bare, without any decorations whatsoever. Except for one picture in the middle of the wall opposite of Lucas…

“Wait…” Lucas asked, squinting at the picture. “Is that…?”

Kumatora followed his gaze. Her eyes widened when she saw the picture. “No way…”

In the picture were two adults, and each of them was holding a child by the shoulders. The adults must have been very tall, because the picture didn't show their face, but from what Lucas could see of their bodies, one of the adults was wearing a dress or robe of some sort, and another was wearing a tunic and a purple cape. They must have been the mother and the father. But what really got Lucas's attention were the children…

The child being held by the father was a human, wearing a green sweater with a yellow strip through the middle and brown trousers. The child had short, close-cropped dark brown hair and they had their head buried in a bouquet of yellow flowers, concealing must of their face from view.

But the child held by the woman… he was a Monster, and he looked just like Toriel. He had the same goat-like head, the same white fur on their body, the same shape to the face, everything! The goat boy was dressed similarly to the human child, only his trousers were black instead of brown, and he had multiple yellow stripes throughout their green sweater instead of just on through the middle. The boy was smiling, revealing tiny, tiny fangs in his maw, and he was holding his own bouquet of yellow flowers in his arms.

Lucas stared at the boy in the picture and then looked up at the adults standing above him. In that instant, it became obvious who the parents in the picture were supposed to be.

Frisk looked at him with a puzzled expression. “What?” she asked, following his gaze. She gasped when she saw the photo on the wall. “Oh…” she sighed.

“Is that… their son?” Lucas asked. He was already certain what the answer was, but he wanted to be sure.

"Yes," Frisk replied. Lucas blinked her tone. It was almost like she didn't want to talk about this…

“Why haven’t we met him then?” Kumatora asked, leaning over the table to get her face closer to Frisk’s. “And who’s that human in the picture?”

Frisk hesitated. “I… don’t know.”

Kumatora glared at her. “You’re lying.” She said. “You’re lying right through your teeth.”

Frisk looked off to the side nervously. “I…”

A loud bang from the kitchen interrupted Frisk before she could finish. “Don’t leave the kitchen!” Toriel called. “Dinner is ready!” After several seconds filled with the clattering of plates, Toriel came into the room, carrying plates in both hands and levitating another two with magic. With a sigh of satisfaction, she placed the plates on each end of the table.

“So sorry for the wait!” Toriel exclaimed with an unexpectedly cheerful smile, walking to the chair opposite of Lucas, concealing the mysterious photograph from view. “Dig in!”

On the plate in front of Lucas was a dish of spaghetti, covered with tomato sauce. It was still steaming from the pot, and Lucas's stomach growled at the sight. He was tempted just to do what Toriel said… but…

Lucas looked at the goat woman, who was still smiling at all of them. She seemed. happy. Like she hasn't been about to burn Undyne alive just thirty minutes ago. Still, he was worried…

“Ms. Toriel?” Lucas asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yes!” Toriel said immediately. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You were…pretty angry earlier.” Lucas clarified. “You were about to attack Undyne…”

Toriel sat down and looked right Lucas. "You're right," she said, her voice a bit sadder than it was a minute ago. "And I sorry you was forced to watch that. I shouldn't let that _fish_ get under my fur, but… it was such a stressful day, and she made me so angry...”

“But are you okay now?” Frisk asked.

Toriel nodded. “Cooking always makes me feel better after a stressful time” she replied. “Please, don’t worry about me. Let’s just enjoy the rest of our evening together.”

Kumatora hadn’t waited for Toriel to sit down. She was slurping up the spaghetti right with her bare hands, already half-way done with her meal.

Toriel glared at her. "Could you please use the fork?"

Kumatora looked up at her, spaghetti hanging from her mouth and tomato sauce in her hands. “Oh.” She said. “Sorry.”

While Toriel passed Kumatora a napkin, Lucas and Frisk started eating the pasta on the plate. The noodles were soft but firm enough to maintain shape. The sauce was a bit spicy, but also pretty sweet.

"This is great," Lucas said, hoping the compliment would cheer Toriel up a little. "Thank you for making this."

Toriel wiped some sauce from her face and smiled. “It was no trouble, my child. I’m glad you like it.”

They kept eating for quite some time, not saying another word. It wasn't uncomfortable, but every time Toriel leaned down to take a bite of her spaghetti, Lucas would see the photo right behind Toriel's head. It was like it was taunting him, daring him to ask her  its meaning…

Kumatora glanced at Lucas. She followed his gaze to the photograph, and then shook her head urgently at it, as if to say “Go ahead.” Lucas shook his head at her. He knew that if he asked, it was going to be sad and hurt Toriel to talk about. Especially since Toriel never brought it up by herself.

Kumatora rolled her eyes at him, and Lucas's heart immediately leaped to his throat. Before he could stop her, Kumatora turned to Toriel, who had just taken another mouthful of spaghetti, and asked. "Who're those kids in the picture?"

Lucas and Frisk looked at her in disbelief. Toriel gagged, choking on the spaghetti in her mouth.

“Mom!” Frisk cried, jumping from her seat and running to her side. Before she could do anything, Toriel coughed out a ball of mashed of spaghetti and took a few gasps of air.

“Are you okay?” Lucas cried, starting to get up from his seat.

Toriel held up a hand. "I'm fine…" she coughed out. After a moment, Toriel stopped retching. "I'm fine…" She looked at Kumatora. "I'm sorry… what was it that you asked?"

Kumatora was staring at her with bewilderment and worry, before coughing into her hand and asking the question again. “Who’re those kids in the picture?”

Toriel blinked at the question, and her face fell. “Oh…” she muttered, turning to face the photograph, her face turned away from the children. “Those are… were my children.”

“Were…?” Kumatora asked.

 Toriel nodded, smiling sadly as she stared at the photo. “As you’ve probably guessed, the boy in the picture is my child by blood. His name is… was… Asriel… As for the human, her name was Chara… During the Monsters’ imprisonment in the Underground, she fell into an opening on the Surface. She managed to survive by landing on some flowers, and she was found by Asriel. Despite the animosity between our races, they became friends, and we welcomed her into our family…”

Lucas stared at her. It was just as he thought. The goat child was her son… but that didn’t explain why they never met… Did they…?

"What…" Lucas hesitated. Like before, he was certain he knew the answer, and that asking was just going to bring pain. But Lucas and Kumatora had already done so much damage already. He had to finish so he could make it all worth something.

“What happened to them?” Lucas finished.

"They died," Toriel replied, her voice starting to shake. "They've been dead for a millennium…"

Lucas hated being right. "I'm sorry," Lucas said as he got up from his seat. He walked around the table to Toriel' side. Lucas couldn't see her face very clearly from where he was, but he saw that her hands were trembling. Lucas stopped beside her, wondering what he should do.

“Are… you okay?” Lucas asked, before mentally kicking himself for asking such an obvious question. In an attempt get Toriel to feel better, he gripped his hands around her trembling paw and gave it a squeeze.

Immediately, Toriel turned to look at Lucas in the face, and for a brief second, Lucas saw tears running down the goat woman’s face. Toriel quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m…” Toriel choked on her words. “I’m fine, Lucas…” 

Lucas’s heart broke for her. “I’m… sorry.”

“No, no, no, no!” Toriel cried, placing her hands on Lucas’s shoulder. “Lucas, you did nothing wrong! You and Kumatora were will within your rights to ask the question. It’s just…” Toriel looked away from Lucas, back to the photo on the wall. “I miss them… I was their mother... It was duty to protect them… but I failed… When they died... a part of me died with them…”

Kumatora shifted in her seat nervously, looking at Toriel with concern and sympathy. “Is… it okay if I asked how they… passed?” she asked, for once showing some hesitation.

Toriel sighed shakily. “Chara… fell ill. We don’t know exactly what killed her. The doctors couldn’t find what was wrong with her, and we couldn’t help her…  no matter how much magic we used… It was like some evil spirit cursed her… On the morning of her passing… Asriel decided to take her soul and use it to pass through the Barrier so he could take her body to the Surface… But when he did, the humans saw him, a Monster, carrying her dead body… and they assumed the worst. Asriel didn’t fight back. He didn’t want to hurt anyone… but the humans didn’t care. By the time Asriel escaped, the damage had already been done. He turned to dust right before our very eyes…”

 Once again, Lucas found himself staring at her.  Both of her children… dead on the same day… And she and Asgore had been helpless to stop it….

_What if any of us had been a second late? What if you had gotten killed?_

Suddenly, all of Toriel’s behavior towards them made sense. Toriel had already had two of her own children die before… There was no way she would be able to stand losing more…. Not if she could prevent it…

Lucas looked back at the photo of the goat child and the human girl, and an overwhelming sense of sadness stormed his heart. Toriel had tried to hide it. She tried to smile, pretend that everything was okay… but inside, she was in horrible pain. Thinking back, Toriel being so angry and bitter towards people who annoyed her, like Undyne, might have been her lashing out, trying to relieve herself of this pain. This didn’t explain her utterly terrible treatment of Asgore… but he still didn’t know exactly happened between them. But whatever happened between the two, losing their children Asriel and Chara had been the catalyst. Lucas was sure of it. And even after a thousand years, Toriel was still suffering, torturing herself with the thought that she was responsible for her children’s deaths, that she killed her own children…

For some reason, Lucas empathized with Toriel’s feelings.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Lucas wrapped his arms around Toriel’s waist and hugged her. Toriel’s breath hitched, Lucas could feel Toriel’s eyes look down on him. Then, Lucas felt warm and furry arms hug him back.

“Lucas…” Toriel whispered, giving him a gentle squeeze. “Thank you…”

Lucas felt another pair of arms wrap around Toriel. He tilted his head, and he saw that it was Frisk, holding her adoptive mother from the back. In response, Toriel shifted a bit, taking one of her arms off of Lucas and wrapping it around Frisk.

They stayed like this for a minute or so, not saying a word. Lucas saw that the steam on the spaghetti was starting to fade, but he didn’t care. He was just happy he was making Toriel feel better.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas saw Kumatora walk up to them. She had a sad look on her face, but she couldn’t bring herself to touch any of them. “I’m… sorry for your loss, Toriel.” She said. “I… don’t know what to say.”

"There's nothing to say," Toriel replied, releasing Lucas and Frisk. She was smiling again. "It had to be said, eventually. I don't blame any of you."

Kumatora still looked at her, very concerned. "It still hurts, huh. I guess even a thousand years can't take that away…"

Toriel shook her head sadly. "No… it can't. But… it's still in the past… Now, Monsterkind is free, and a whole world of possibilities has opened up to us. Now, for the first time in millennia, we can live peacefully alongside humans. Now… I have you three…"

Frisk smiled at her. “Mom…” she giggled.

Lucas blushed. He was honestly at a loss for words now…

"Geez, goat mom…" Kumatora muttered, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. He looked as red as Lucas. "It's not like me and Lucas are your kids or anything…"

Toriel chuckled. “Maybe not. But until the time comes when you and Lucas regain your memories, you will be under my care. And… his…” Toriel frowned for a second. “That does remind me. One moment please.” With that, she walked back into the kitchen. There was another series of clatters before Toriel walked back in with four more plates.

"Kumatora, I believe I had a promise to keep you," Toriel said. "So… without further ado, here is my apparently famous butterscotch cinnamon pie."

Toriel set down the plates, and Lucas's mouth instantly watered t. Before him was a single slice of the most delicious looking pie Lucas had ever seen (never mind the fact that Lucas couldn't remember anything past the last few weeks). It was a warm, rich shade of brown throughout the entire piece, with no thick or burnt spots in sight. Even more impressive was the scent. It smelled like a perfect blend of the richest butter and tastiest cinnamon. Lucas hadn't even tasted it yet, and he was sure the pie was going to be the best thing Lucas ever tasted…

“You remembered!” Kumatora shouted with a huge grin on her face.

"Of course," Toriel replied. "It seemed like the perfect time to make it. To celebrate the first day of our new lives here."

"Thanks, Mom!" Frisk exclaimed.

"Dig in children," Toriel said.

At that, Lucas, Kumatora, and Frisk took a bite out of the pie!

“HOLY SHIT!” Kumatora shouted, her eyes bright with delight!

“This is… amazing!” Lucas cried.

“It’s even better than last time!” Frisk exclaimed.

“I’m so glad you like it.” Toriel beamed at them.

Needless to say, it only took a few more seconds for the three of them to finish their pie. The slices must have been thicker than they looked, because Lucas immediately felt full, and judging from the looks on the other’s faces, they felt the same.

"Oh, my" Toriel said, looking outside. "So dark already. And the three of you have had an exhausting day… Perhaps it's time for you to head to bed?"

“I’m too full to argue...” Kumatora replied, patting her belly.

“I am getting drowsy…” Lucas muttered, starting nod off after a heavy meal.

"Then, I'll show you to your rooms," Toriel said, getting up from her seat.

They followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs, into another hallway. On the right side were two doors, and on the left side, there was one. Toriel went to the nearest door on the right, saying “Frisk… this is your room.”

The door opened a small bedroom. On the opposite wall to them was a window with red curtains covering it. On the left side of the window was a bed with bright red covers, and on the right was a large wardrobe. There was a closet on the right wall, and next to it was a black wooden desk.

 “I know it’s a little plain…” Toriel said. “But feel free to decorate it however you wish.”

Frisk smiled at her. "Thanks, mom. I'll get ready for bed now."

Toriel smiled back. “Your clothes are in the closet, sweetie. I’ll tuck you in after I do the same for Lucas and Kumatora.”

Frisk nodded and turned to Lucas and Kumatora. “Good night.” She waved.

Lucas gave a shy little wave back. “Good night…” he replied.

“Night” Kumatora said simply. With that, Frisk closed the door.

Toriel walked to the other door on the right, still smiling at them. “And here is your room.”

Lucas and Kumatora followed them and looked inside the room. Just like Frisk’s room, it had a window on the wall opposite of the door, except it had yellow curtains instead of red ones. Instead of one bed to the right of the bed, there were two beds on each corner of the right wall, with two wardrobes placed next to each other in between them. Directly opposite of the wardrobe was the closet, with a book case to the right of it, and a black desk on the left.

Lucas looked up at Toriel. “It… looks nice.” He said.

"I'm glad you like it," Toriel replied.

"It could use a little decoration," Kumatora grunted.

"I'll leave you for a moment to change," Toriel said, ignoring Kumatora and closing the door.

Lucas walked to the wardrobe and found two simple pairs of pajamas in the first drawer, one blue, one pink. Lucas gave the pink to Kumatora, and he took off his shirt to change when Kumatora punched him in the arm. "I don't wanna see your nasty boy parts! You change in the closet!"

Lucas quickly did as he was told. It only took him a minute to change, and by the time he did, Kumatora knocked on the closet door. “You can come out now.”

Lucas did so and saw that Kumatora was wearing her pajamas. "Let's get to bed." She muttered.

Lucas nodded. The two went to their own beds and got into the warm covers. Just as they did, there was a knock on the door. “Have you two changed?” Toriel called through the door.

"Yeah, yeah," Kumatora called back.

Toriel opened the door and walked over to Kumatora’s bed. “Well…” she said, placing a hand on Kumatora’s shoulder. “Good night, Kumatora.”

“Night” Kumatora grunted.

Toriel went over to Lucas's bed and ruffled his hair. "Good night, Lucas," she said, and when Lucas saw her smiling at him, he couldn't help smiling back. "Good night, Toriel," he said, with some fondness in voice.

Toriel’s smiled widen a bit, and she left the room, turning off the light and closing the door.

Almost immediately, Lucas heard snoring coming from Kumatora's bed. He chuckled a bit, before turning over on his pillow, laying on his side in the dark. He thought about the day he just had. He thought about the man who yelled at Sans in the ice cream shop, Toriel harsh treatment of Asgore, his fight with the termites, what he learned about Toriel's children. Then, he thought about the afternoon he spent with Steven just playing and exploring the city. He thought about how despite having been enemies for so long, Monsters and humans had worked together to repair a city, how he and the rest of his friends had defeated the termites, despite how difficult it was. He thought about the dinner he shared with Toriel, and how happy she and everyone else was at the end.

Lucas smiled as he started to drift away into sleep. It had gotten hard at times, but there was also a lot that made him happy despite it. He had been unsure at first, but maybe, until his memory returned, staying in this place wouldn't be so bad…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... that got dark. Anyway, I hope you guys are hanging in their, cause starting next chapter, we're diving into some mythos. Particularly, we'll get some glimpses into just how the world of Mother is connected to the world of Undertale and Steven Universe... Hope you guys are excited, cause I am! Also, I'm gonna try a new writing technique. I'll write at least twenty-five minutes every day of the week, and then on Saturday, I'll edit what I've wrote and post it as chapter. That way, I can get chapter every week like I originally promised, and my chapter will be in more digestible lengths (as opposed to the novellas I post at least once a month...) Wish me luck!


	12. Dreams...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas has a strange dream... but was it just a dream...?

For the first time since the Monsters had found him, Lucas dreamed.

During the first few moments, he was in the dark, completely alone. It wasn’t hot, but it wasn’t cold either, and he couldn’t feel the ground underneath him. It was like he was floating in the middle of space. But the strangest thing was that despite these odd circumstances, Lucas wasn’t scared or anxious. It just didn’t occur to him to feel that way. Moreover, there was something familiar about this darkness…

Without warning, Lucas started moving, flying through the darkness. He couldn't see this change of course since Lucas couldn't even see his hand in front of his face, but he could feel the wind rushing past him as he soared through the blinding blackness. Despite the sudden change, he still couldn't find it in him to be afraid. The only thing in his mind was "Where am I going…?"

Suddenly, a golden speck appeared in the distance, like a star being born in the night sky. The speck got brighter as Lucas flew closer to it and wiped away the darkness. Eventually, the light erased the darkness and swallowed Lucas in its glow, forcing him to shut his eyes so he wouldn't be blinded. Even so, the light was so bright that even when he closed his eyes, Lucas saw gold.

“Lucas…” a voice echoed in Lucas’s ears. It sounded like… a woman. “Make us proud.”

Just as quickly as the light appeared, it vanished. Suddenly, the air became warmer, though not hot, and Lucas’s feet hit solid ground again. Wondering what had happened to the light, Lucas opened his eyes.

Lucas was standing on a green hill on a high cliff side overlooking the ocean. In the distance, the sun was rising, its red light sparkling in the waves below. It was beautiful. Like nothing, he had ever seen before. In the back of Lucas's mind, he knew that he probably shouldn’t have been so entranced, but he couldn't help it. It felt like it was the first time he had ever seen a sunrise like this…

“Wow!” a voice next to him rang out. “It’s so pretty!”

Lucas turned his head to look at the source of the voice. It was… a boy…? It was almost certainly a human male, and judging from the fact that he was the same size as Lucas, he had to be a child. But for some reason, he couldn’t make out his face. He could see other things about him. For one, his hair was as red as the setting sun they were watching, and like Lucas, he was wearing a striped shirt and shorts. Unlike Lucas’s shirt though, which was red and yellow, his stripes were blue and yellow, and his shorts were a reddish-brown. He could also tell that the boy was smiling, but other than that, Lucas couldn’t make out the boy’s features. His face like a blank mask that revealed the mouth, but nothing else.

“Boys!” another voice called. “It’s time for breakfast!”

The red-headed boy shot up to his feet, bouncing excitedly. "Oh, boy! Omelets!" With that, the boy ran off.

Lucas got up as well, nearly tripping himself over to do so. By the time he was on his feet, the red-headed boy had already run into the patio of a wooden house. In the standing by the door was a… woman? The figure had long brown hair and was wearing a red dress that went to her ankles, but much like with the boy, Lucas couldn’t see her entire face. Just a smile that made his heart melt. Why did he feel that way…?

“Are you coming, Lucas?” the boy shouted from the patio. “I’ll eat your omelets if you aren’t!”

Immediately, an inexplicable craving for omelets hit Lucas, and he dashed towards the two faceless figures. However, as he got closer to the two figures, a golden light flashed before his eyes, blinding Lucas once again. After a moment, his vision cleared, and the scenery around him changed once again.

The ocean and the cliff had disappeared. Instead, Lucas was standing in the middle of a field, where sunflowers bloomed in the afternoon sun. Their petals danced as the wind blew, creating a rippling of gold throughout the field.

Despite having been running after the two faceless figures seconds ago, Lucas found himself running his hands through the stems of the flowers, trying to see which one would the best for…

"I found one!" Lucas cried, picking one that he decided he liked.

“Oh!” the faceless woman’s voice cooed. Lucas heard the rustling of flowers, and he turned to face the woman walking to him. The woman gripped the flower from Lucas’s hand and brought it level to her eyes, inspecting it intently. Then, the woman took a deep breath her nose, smelling the sunflower, and then smiled at Lucas. “It’s beautiful, Lucas. Thank you.”

“Sunflowers are your favorite… right?” Lucas asked.

"Yes." The woman replied, leaning down to kiss Lucas on the forehead. "They are." Lucas's felt his cheeks get a little hot at the woman's actions, but he didn't mind that much. After all, this woman was happy, and that was what mattered…

“Come.” The woman said, turning her back and looking at Lucas from over her shoulder. “Let’s go home.” At this, the woman started walking away. “In a distant town… As the dark grows deep….” she sang.

Lucas started to follow the woman, but the moment he did, the golden light flashed before Lucas’s eyes once again.

This time, the surroundings didn't change at all. Lucas was still in the sunflower field, but now he was running through it. In front of him was the red-headed boy from the cliff, and he was running too, with an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

“Come on, Lucas!” the red-headed boy laughed as he turned his head to face Lucas, who was struggling to chase him down. “If you don’t keep up, I’ll leave you behind!”

Lucas couldn’t respond. He was too busy struggling to run at this boy’s rigorous pace to form a coherent reply. All he managed was a grunt of frustration. Why did this boy have to be so much better than him? Why did that boy have to be so strong?

Why couldn’t Lucas be more like him…?

The red-haired boy laughed again, before turning around suddenly and stopping in his tracks. Lucas only had enough time to gasp before the boy tackled him to the ground, knocking them both into the sunflowers. The red-haired boy kept laughing as he and Lucas rolled around in the golden flowers, each one of the boys trying to get on top of the other. Lucas knew he couldn't beat the boy since he was much stronger than him. Still, he certainly didn't to mean anything mean by playing with Lucas like this, and the other boy was having too much fun that Lucas couldn't help but laugh along with the boy. Lucas didn't like losing, but against this boy, maybe it wasn't so bad…

“Unfamiliar words resound… whispered and weak…” a woman’s voice sang.

There was another flash of light. Now Lucas was in a canoe with that same boy. They were carrying fishing poles, and the red-headed boy had just caught a fish. Lucas was disappointed that he hadn’t caught the first one, but he didn’t mind too much. As long he was able to catch one…

Unfortunately, Lucas’s thoughts were interrupted as something tugged on his line so forcefully that he nearly fell off the canoe. The other boy wrapped his arms around Lucas, and together they pulled, trying to overpower the thing that was trying to pull Lucas under…

“Let me heal the pain… Drive away despair …”

The scene changed again.  Thunder boomed, and lightning flashed from the outside, and despite being inside, Lucas was scared. He was hiding under his blankets, shivering and crying because there wasn't anyone where with him. Or so he thought until the faceless woman grabbed his sheets and revealed his face to her. She looked down at him, concerned. She asked what was wrong, but Lucas only responded by jumping into the woman's chest, sniffling. The woman jumped back in surprise but quickly wrapped her arms around him, rocking him back and forth…

“Lead this child who’s lost his way… Help him prepare…”

On and on, the scenes played out like this. There would be a flash of golden light, and Lucas would be somewhere else, doing something else. He was reading, climbing trees, running... The only constants in these scenes were the two faceless people from before. No matter what he was doing, either one or both of them would be by Lucas's side. They would walk with him, play with him, laugh with him… All of these joyful scenes shifted and played before Lucas, like a kaleidoscope of happiness and love…. It was strange… but Lucas couldn't help but feel warm deep inside. These two stayed with him, despite how much he cried or how much he needed their help. No matter how many times he saw them, Lucas kept wanting to see them again…

“While apart… Understand… I will live my life for you wherever I am.”

Lucas and the two faceless people were sitting around a wooden table. There was another man there, and he made a joke that Lucas couldn’t hear. The other boy laughed, and Lucas blushed, embarrassed. The woman chuckled a bit before getting up from her seat and walking out the door. The man and the faceless boy kept talking, until suddenly, the woman barged back in the door, panicked. Lucas and the other people on the table were confused, and they were about to ask her questions when a strange humming echoed from outside, followed by… the blaring of horns?

“It’s my greatest wish… To provide for you… Tender moments, sweetest dreams… Love, warm and true…”

This time, instead of a golden light flashing and blinding Lucas, the darkness he experienced at the beginning swallowed him up again. A chill ran up Lucas’s back, and he shuddered. What were sounds back there? Why was the darkness back again? What was happening?

 Without warning, Lucas’s vision cleared. Lucas barely had enough time to see the faceless woman rushing to him. Lucas heard her cry, “Go! Get away from here!”  before she pushed him away surprising strength and urgency. Lucas cried out in his panic over hitting the ground. But instead of hitting solid ground, he was submerged in a river. Lucas tried to scream, but the current pushed him away and forced water into his mouth. By the time he was able to get to the surface, he had already been carried far away from the faceless woman. He reached out his hand in the woman’s direction, trying in vain to grab her as a huge shadowy thing loomed over her as she turned to face it…

At this point, another kaleidoscope of scenes flashed before Lucas's eyes. But these events were nothing like the ones from before. The faceless boy and the faceless woman were nowhere to be found, and Lucas wasn't playing or doing anything fun. Instead of things that made him happy, he saw…. Awful things…. Horrifying things... Things that made him want to scream and cry and laugh because of how terrible they were. Every event flashed before Lucas's eyes and burned into his mind so quickly that he barely had time to comprehend it, but the damage was still done…

Lucas saw beings in strange white masks, spewing fire from black tubes, squealing like pigs and laughing all the while. He saw monsters. Not the friendly welcoming Monsters that had welcomed him with open arms and open hearts, but twisted, horrifying perversions of nature. Cows with the heads and long necks of snakes. Giant spiders with horse heads in the middle and eight horse legs. Dogs that had mushrooms sprouting from their heads and tails. And a dragon-like thing that was more teeth that flesh. And many other things that he was far too horrified to comprehend.  And all of these abominations were screaming, growling, screeching at Lucas, lunging at him, biting at him, trying to tear out his throat, bite off his head, poison him, maim him, do whatever they could make him hurt.

Lucas saw people running, trying to get away from a fire. Lucas saw himself standing near someone, watching in terror as some man swung something in his hands wildly, hitting anyone who came near.

“It was pierced through your wife’s heart…” Someone Lucas couldn’t see said.

Lucas saw himself crying over a gravestone. For some reason, he couldn't remember whose it was…

"Go ahead! Cry, Lucas! That's all you've ever been good for!" someone said.

Lucas saw a man in a turban talking to some people. The man was giving them… silver boxes? What? Then, people were pushing him towards the man, insisting he get one too, and when he refused, they yelled at him.

“Come on, you crybaby! Take it! It’ll make you happy again! Don’t you want to be happy?”

The scenes changed again. Lucas was walking again, but it wasn't for play. He had a place in mind. He was going somewhere to do something, and he was determined to do it. Once again, Lucas wasn't alone. To his right, he saw Kumatora, who had a fierce glare on her face and her hands clenched into fists. To his left was a man that Lucas didn’t recognize. He was dressed in a blue shirt, brown pants, and he was much taller than both Lucas and Kumatora…

“Let’s find that Egg!” Kumatora said.

More images flashed before Lucas’s eyes. He saw the other man, Kumatora, and himself climbing mountains, fighting those horrible monsters and the masked men from before, running from some people in shadow that were chasing and yelling at them…

“Everyone’s waiting for you, Lucas.” A voice whispered. “Waiting to throw rocks at you, and spit on you, and make your life Hell. Who's everyone? Everyone you love…"

“The boy named Lucas is crying at a grave.” Another voice said accusingly, as the images continued to show Lucas and his strange companions being chased by the shadows.

“The boy named Lucas and his dog are loitering the forest.” The voice said again, louder this time. “The boy named Lucas stole nuts from our garden!” the voice was shouting now. “THE BOY NAMED LUCAS IS BULLYING ANIMALS! THE BOY NAMED LUCAS LEARNED SOME BAD MAGIC!”

Lucas slammed his hands to his ears and shut his eyes, trying to block out the voices screaming at him, but they still surrounded him, clamoring in his mind. “A BOY NAMED LUCAS! A BOY NAMED LUCAS! A BOY NAMED LUCAS!”

“Please stop!” Lucas screamed desperately. To his surprise, the voices became quieter, but they didn’t stop entirely. Lucas opened his eyes, gasping for breath as he watched the images continue to play. Now, Lucas, Kumatora, and the other man were on top of some building. There was a large object being suspended in the air. It seemed to be a metal and glass box of a sort, and something inside it was talking to them.

“How stupid can you be?!” it demanded.  “No matter how much you change the rules, no matter how much you refuse to admit defeat, in the end, the creatures known as ‘people’ will always sign their own death warrant by acting out of stupidity and evil. And then...”

The scene changed again. This time, Lucas was fighting something in that strange mechanical box with a stick. The thing in the box laughed as Lucas hit it the glass with his stick, but only managed to make a tiny crack. Then, the thing in the box knocked said something to Lucas that made his blood boil. Lucas screamed, charging at the box, gathering all his magical power into his hands to launch at this thing, to strike it down with all his hatred…

Before he could, the thing disappeared, and Lucas stopped in his tracks. Now, he was facing a human, around the same size as Lucas himself, dressed in black clothes and a silver helmet the covered his eyes. His right arm looked like it was a stub, but in his left hand, he carried a golden sword that surged with energy.  Before Lucas could react, the man in the helmet flourished his blade and charged at Lucas.

All Lucas could do was block and dodge the man's strikes. He wanted to cry. He didn't want to fight this man! Why? Why did they have to fight? Why were they fighting? They couldn't!

Please…” a voice begged. “Stop this… You and Lucas are…”

Lucas's vision blurred, and by the net moment, the man in the helmet stopped trying to fight him. The man looked around as if looking for something. Then, he dropped his swords and took his helmet off…

At this very second, there was an explosion of light, and Lucas screamed. The next thing he knew, the man in the helmet was on the ground, completely limp, and Lucas was cradling him in his arms, tears in his eyes. The man looked at Lucas and, despite the pain, he smiled.

“I’m sorry it turned out like this…” he said, gripping Lucas’s wrist. “I’m really happy you could be there with me just before the end…” The man in the helmet took one last breath before his hand fell to the ground. 

Lucas screamed. He cried his heart out, sobbing over the man in his arms. Lucas stayed like this for a few minutes, before he gave one final sob and took a deep breath. Gently, Lucas laid the man in the helmet on the ground and turned away to face something very bright in the distance. As Lucas walked towards the light, it flashed, blinding him once again.

“We all believe in you.” A voice said. “So now you need to believe in yourself. Now go.”

Lucas reached down and grabbed something. As he did so, another voice echoed in his mind. “Your life, and the lives of all who believe in you… Will you put it all on the line…?”

Lucas hesitated for a moment, and then he was filled with determination. "Yes" he answered, and with that, he gave whatever he had grabbed a forceful tug. 

Something was pulled from the ground, and loud boom filled Lucas's ears, knocking in the inside of his skull with such intensity he thought it would shatter his brain. But just as soon as it began, the booming stopped.

“I am thou.” a deep, rumbling voice called to Lucas. “Thou art I. O’ noble soul who braved unimaginable sorrow and awake me from my slumber… Let our power bring salvation to this decaying world!”

The light faded. Now, Lucas was in standing in a dark cavern. The only source of light came from the beams of sunlight that shone through an opening in the ceiling high above. The light illuminated in a circle on the floor of the cavern, where golden flowers grew in abundance. At first, Lucas was tempted to all them sunflowers, but they were much shorter in height, and their petals were different. Were they… buttercups?

Lucas bent down to pick one, but his heart nearly stopped when he did so. His hand… that wasn’t his hand! His hand wasn’t supposed to have white fur on it! What…?

Unlike before, Lucas's body didn't react to his surprise. The furred hand brought it the flower up to his face, and he sniffed it, breathing in its scent. Wait… why was his face so long? Did he have a snout? He dropped the flower, and his new body looked down for a moment. He was wearing a green and yellow long sleeved shirt and black jeans. It wasn't that different from what he usually wore, but he felt the clothes pressing against fur… What was going on?! What was this?

A thump came from the middle of the circle of buttercups, and his body looked towards the source. A person had fallen into the cavern, and Lucas’s new body ran towards it with a cry. He turned the person over. It was a girl. Her clothing was in tatters, and it just barely covered up her body. And her face…  her hair… it looked just like….

The girl groaned, her eyes fluttering open. Lucas, in his new body, asked who she was and if she was okay. The girl didn't answer, and she was too weak to move on her own. Lucas had her lean on his shoulder as he carried her further into the cave, where the darkness engulfed them.

“You’ll take care of them, won’t you Lucas?” a child’s voice asked.

“But…” Lucas felt himself reply. “What if they don’t like me?”

The child laughed. "Are you kidding? They're going to love you! Especially Dad. You're a lot like him…"

“If you say so…” Lucas replied, unsure.

“Just… take care of yourself too, will you?” the voice said, sounding sad.

"Why do you sound like you're saying goodbye?" Lucas asked. "You're coming with me. And when we get to the other side, we'll find them. And I promise we'll fix both our mistakes. We'll atone for our sins… Together…"

The child sobbed, crying for a bit before saying “Lucas…. Thank you….”

“Just promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

"No crying until the end… okay, Asriel?”

Lucas felt something warm and furry wrap its arms around him and nuzzle his shoulder. “As long as you stay determined…”

….

Lucas woke with a start, tears running down his face. He sobbed, overwhelmed with grief, sadness, and confusion. What was all that? What did it mean? Was he going insane? Or was it…?

Lucas took a few deep breaths, giving a few more choked sobs before his breathing stabilized. He looked over his bedside. Thankfully, Kumatora was still snoring in her bed. Somehow, he hadn't woken her up in his vivid dreams. 

Lucas sighed in relief and laid back down. He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead as he stared up at the ceiling, gathering his thoughts.

Those things he saw in his dream… Just were they? Was he finally regaining some of his memory? All things considered, that seemed to be the most likely possibility. Nearly everything he saw had been so strange, but so familiar…

But then what was with the visions at the end of the dream? He didn't just dream about himself… he was in someone's body! And judging from the fur that he had had, he was in a Monster's body! Why? Lucas wasn't a Monster! So why would his memories include something like that? And that girl… she looked just like Frisk! Who was she?

Lucas sighed again. No matter how much he thought of it, the dream just didn't make sense. Still, it meant something. Lucas was sure of it. He didn't know what yet, but he was going to find out. Someday…

_As long as you stay determined…_

….

After a while, Lucas decided to get out of bed. He managed to get to the door and open it without making a sound. He took one last look at Kumatora to make sure she was still in bed, and then quietly closed the door.

 It must have still been night because it was quite dark in the hallway. It occurred to Lucas that he could turn on the lights, but he didn't want to wake up anyone in the house. So, with a hand on the wall to guide his movement, he carefully made his way down the hallway.

Just when Lucas thought he got the hang of moving down the hall, the floor beneath him gave way to the stairs. He barely managed to catch himself on the railway, barely stifling a cry of panic, before sighing and making his way down the stairs. Then, when he reached the bottom floor, he walked into the kitchen, feeling comfortable enough to turn on the light.

Since there was no clock, Lucas had no way of knowing what the time was, but the darkness outside the window told him that it was still night, or early in the morning. From where the house stood on the hillside, Lucas could see the lights of Beach City, shining like stars that fell to the Earth. It was quiet, with only the chirping of crickets and the droning of cars in the distance. Giving that Lucas was still reeling from the troubling dreams, the silence was worth more than gold.

Lucas pulled up a seat at the table and sat down with a sigh. He wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to do. He just knew he couldn't stay in bed. With nothing to do, Lucas's eyes fell on the picture on the wall, and he froze.

The photo was the same as yesterday, with Toriel and Asgore holding Asriel and Chara. But now there was something uncannily familiar about the children, and not just because he had looked at the picture before.

No… Asriel’s white fur… his striped green sweater… Chara’s hair… her hidden face…

_No crying until the end… okay, Asriel?_

At that second, something clicked in Lucas's mind, and his eyes widened in realization. Why hadn't he realized it before? The person he turned into in his dreams… it had been Asriel! And the girl he had meet must have been Chara! But… why would he have been dreaming about the time when Asriel and Chara met? Was it because he had just been told about them? But he had turned into Asriel at the end of his dream… Why…?

“Lucas?”

Lucas jumped, turning to face the voice that had interrupted his thoughts. Standing in the door was Frisk, who was still in her pajamas and was looking at him curiously.  To Lucas’s surprise, Frisk’s eyes were red with blood, and her hair was ragged and messy. It seemed that she hadn’t been sleeping well at all

“Frisk?” Lucas said, taking a breath to calm down from his surprise.

Frisk took the seat next to him. “Couldn’t sleep, huh?”

“No…” Lucas said honestly. “I guess you couldn’t either?”

Frisk looked down at the table hesitantly. “I… had a bad dream…” she said. “I woke up with a start, and then I heard someone down stairs. I decided to go down, and well, here we are.”

Lucas blinked at her. “What…” he asked hesitantly. “Did you dream about?”

Frisk blinked at him, giving him a peculiar look. Then, she sighed. “Nothing you need to worry about. Just… a few things I’d rather forget about.”

Things that she’d rather forget about? “What do you mean?” Lucas asked.

Frisk gave him a small smile. “Don’t worry about it.” She said.

Lucas sighed. Frisk was avoiding his question, even though there was something bothering her. Why was she so insistent on hiding things from him? First, the anger Toriel had for Asgore, and now this. Did she not trust him? Or…  was what she hiding so bad that she didn’t think he could handle it?

_Frisk...it's best if you just forget about me, okay? Just go be people with the people who love you. Ha… Ha… I don’t want to let go…_

Lucas groaned as his head swam. In his dizziness, he saw something flash in his eyes. He was back in the dark cavern with the yellow flowers. For some reason, Frisk was there, standing in front of him, and she was crying. She wiped the tears from her eyes and walked up to Lucas, wrapping her arms around him…

"Lucas?" Frisk's voice rang through Lucas's senses, and his head stopped swimming. Lucas opened his eyes, and he was back in the kitchen, with Frisk looking at him with concern.

“Sorry…” Lucas said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I have a headache.”

"Oh," Frisk said, still looking at him. "That's okay."

…

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes. Lucas was too tired and had too much to think about to feel like talking, and whatever Frisk had dreamed about took her inclination for conversation.

Eventually, Lucas heard the sound of footsteps echoing from the stairs. The lights in the front room clicked on, and the high-pitched groan immediately told Lucas who it was.

“Kumatora," Frisk said as the pink-haired girl walked into the kitchen with her arms behind her head.

"Hey," Kumatora replied, not bothering to lower her volume in case Toriel was sleeping. “You’re up early.”

"As are you," Frisk replied.

Kumatora shrugged. “Heard you guys movin’ down here. Thought you guys were gettin’ a midnight snack or something.”

“That would be most unhealthy.” A voice called from the stairs. Lucas looked to the door, and Toriel stepped through, dressed in a white nightgown.

"Oh," Kumatora said. “You’re up too.”

“I’ve been up for quite a while.” Toriel clarified. “Having been in the Underground for so long, I’m still getting used to the Surface’s clock.”

Lucas looked at her with a concerned expression, noticing the gray bags under her eyes. "Did you get any sleep at all?" he asked.

Toriel gave him a reassuring smile, the bags in her eyes softening a little. “I’m fine, Little One. I’m used to it.”

 "So," Kumatora said. “Now that we’re all up, what are we going to be doing today?”

“Weren’t we supposed to meet Garnet this morning?” Frisk asked.

Toriel nodded. “At 8 o’clock. Now, it’s…” Toriel reached into her gown pocket and pulled out a bronze pocket watch. “5:55 AM.”

“God, it is way too early.” Frisk groaned.

Toriel blinked at her. “Yes, it is… Why _are_ you all up and about at this hour? You should be asleep.”

“Eh.” Kumatora shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Are… you all alright?” Toriel asked.

 "We're fine, Mom," Frisk said, placing her chin on her arms laid on her table.

 Lucas hesitated. “I’ll… tell you when we talk to Garnet.” He decided to say.

 Toriel stared at him. “I’ll hold you to it.” She said.

“Hey…” Kumatora said, staring out the window. “It’s getting lighter.”

 She was right. The black of the sky was turning into a darker blue, and it was getting lighter by the minute. Lucas was even able to male out the shape of light gray clouds.

“Indeed…” Toriel said, her voice surprisingly quiet.

Frisk seemed to notice this. “Are you okay Mom?”

“Yes…” Toriel said, looking at the window. She stared outside for a moment in contemplation, before looking back down at the children.

 "Little ones," she said. "May you please go upstairs and change for the day? There's something outside I want to show you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I actually posted sooner than a month later! Let's keep it up!  
> I'm also starting to post this fic on Fanfiction.net as well. I even posted a part of this chapter as "A Certain Someone's Memories" to make the mandatory K rated work so I could start to post. If, for some reason, you want to read there, start looking for Melodies of Love under the Earthbound/Undertale crossover over the next few days!


	13. Steven's House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toriel and the children go to visit Steven and Garnet as promised. For better or worse, they end up learning far more about the Crystal Gems than they bargained for...  
> No crying until the end, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Better late than never, am I right? Here's some more world building for you readers. Enjoy!

The children got changed in a matter of minutes. The cabinet in Lucas and Kumatora’s room had been full of different types of clothes, from collared shirts and dress pants, to casual t-shirts, to dresses. However, Lucas knew he had to hurry up, so he just grabbed a clean copy of what he wore yesterday, as did Kumatora. Toriel was waiting for them at the door, and they followed her outside.

“Where are we going?” Lucas asked, tripping over a rock that he couldn’t see.

 "The top of the hill," Toriel answered. "At the lighthouse."

“Why?” Kumatora asked, once again not caring to lower her volume.

 "To see what I've been dying to see for thousands of years now," Toriel replied. "Please try to be quiet. I doubt there are many Monsters awake at this hour."

 They kept walking up the hillside. It was still rather dark, especially because there were no streetlights set up in the settlement yet. The only lights on the hill came from the windows of houses and tents, providing a faint halo of illumination for the seat. As a result, the area had just enough light for Lucas to see the strange shapes of houses on the hill. Some looked normal, like Toriel's house, but others were ovals or egg-like or some other usual shape. The tall, dark silhouette of the lighthouse loomed at the top of the hill, and it was getting closer and closer the more they walked. There were Monsters of various shapes and sizes all throughout the hill, using their magic to do some early morning construction on their houses and streets. 

The house had been built about halfway up the hillside, so it took a while for them to reach the top of the hill.  By the time they set foot on the summit of the hill, the sky had lightened significantly. Lucas could even see enough to tell that the lighthouse in front of him was white, and the sky past the cliffside was starting to turn purplish.

Toriel walked ahead of them, past the lighthouse, near the edge of the cliff. She stopped when she was a few feet from the cliff, and she sat down. 

Toriel turned her head to look at the children. “Come, little ones. Sit next to me.”

The three children followed her and sat near her, Lucas to her right, Kumatora to her left, and Frisk in front of Toriel.

“What are we doing here?” Frisk asked, looking up at Toriel from her spot underneath her.

Toriel smiled down at her. “Just be patient.” She said. “All will be clear in a moment.”

“60…” Kumatora suddenly said. “59… 58…57…”

“Not literally…” Toriel sighed.

 Just then, a sliver of orange crept in the horizon. It became light enough so that Lucas could see his hand in front of his face.  

“Oh…” Toriel said, turning her head to the ocean. “It’s time.”

“Time for what?” Kumatora asked.

 "Look," Toriel said, pointing over the cliff. 

Across the sea, the orange glow rose further into the sky. Then, after a few moments, the sun started rising from under the horizon. Its warm orange light reflected off water underneath the sun, sparkling like a gem as the waves rocked the sea. As the sun crawled further from its cover beyond the horizon, the light shining from the ocean in the distance grew, until Lucas could see an orange streak with a white shimmer reflecting in the sapphire water.

Lucas stared at the sunrise, unable to take his eyes away. True, Lucas had seen a few sunrises in the short time he had lived with Toriel and Asgore during the migration, but none of them had been like this. The cliff was facing the horizon at just the right angle and the perfect height to watch the sunrise from beginning to end. The dark blue of the ocean and the sky contrasted perfectly with the summery orange of the sun. The light reflected off the sea was mesmerizing, like a white gem glimmering on the surface of the water. It was the beautiful thing the Lucas had seen in his very short amount of memory…

An image of a faceless boy with red hair flashed in Lucas’s mind.

“Wow…” Lucas said. “It’s so pretty…”

“It’s beautiful.” Frisk gasped.

“Indeed…” Toriel replied, her voice barely a whisper. “It’s… even more breathtaking than I imagined…”

Lucas looked up her face, and he saw that she had a smile as warm as the sun on the horizon, and there was a tear running down her muzzle.

“Toriel?” Lucas asked, concerned. “Are you okay?”

 Toriel blinked, looking at Lucas as she rubbed her eye. "I'm alright, Lucas. I'm just… So happy…"

Lucas was confused. “Happy…?”

“Yes…” Toriel said. “The last time I ever saw the sun was 6000 years ago… When the humans sealed us all away. Before then, I saw the sun rise many times, but I never understood what a blessing that was until I was in the Underground. There’s no sunrise there…”

“Oh…” Lucas frowned.

 "I'm… just so happy that I'm here," Toriel said, pressing a hand against her face. "I'm happy I can share this with you all, after spending so long thinking it was impossible. Thank you all. For sharing this with me. It means more than you'll ever know."

 Lucas saw Frisk look down at sea, blushing. "It's nothing, Mom…"

Toriel smiled a bit wider and rubbed the top of Frisk’s head affectionately.

Lucas felt his heart lighten a bit, and he smiled. He turned his head back to the cliffside.

Kumatora stepped next to him, holding her hands behind her head. “God, this view is perfect…”

 "Yeah…" Lucas replied as the sun rose higher over the horizon. "It is..."

….

They left when the sun became too bright to look at any longer. On their way back to the house, they saw several Monsters lurking about outside, resuming their work on their homes or talking among themselves. Occasionally, Lucas or another one of the children would wave at one of the Monsters, who would wave back, only to glare once they saw Toriel. Lucas frowned at that,  but Toriel didn't seem to notice.

 Once they got back to the house, Toriel went to the kitchen and started cooking. The children waited in the dining room, listening to the sizzling of bacon and eggs from the kitchen. 

 "Mom should really get a TV for this room," Frisk said, with a sigh. Her chin was resting on the table, and her eyes were dull with boredom. 

“And a freakin clock” Kumatora groaned.

 "I'm sorry," Toriel said, as she walked in and set the plates on the table. "I didn't have a TV where I lived in the Underground, and I still have some unpacking to do later. But once we get settled in, this house will have all the commodities that a home on the Surface should have. I promise."

 "Gonna hold you to that, Goat Mom," Kumatora said.       

“And I’m going to hold you to stop calling me that.” Toriel curtly replied. “Now eat. We agreed to meet Garnet in an hour.”

 Lucas nodded and looked down at the plate before him. On the right side of the plate was a couple of strips of bacon, fried into a perfect crispy red tone.  On the left side of the plate was an omelet, folded neatly into a small golden square.

_I made your favorite, Lucas… Omelets!_

Toriel looked at him. “Lucas? What’s wrong?”

Lucas blinked and then rubbed his eyes. “Nothing. Why are you asking?”

 "You had a long face," Toriel said. "Do you not like eggs?"

“No, no, no!” Lucas shook his hands. “I love them! Omelets are my favorite! I remember…”

Lucas could feel the eyes in the room staring at him. “You remember?” Toriel asked for clarification.

Lucas nodded. “Yes… I remember that much… I think I remembered some other stuff too but… I think Garnet would want to hear about it too…”

Toriel frowned at him. “If that’s what you wish…” she said. “So long as we discuss it at all…”

Lucas nodded. “I will…”

 They ate breakfast rather quickly. It tasted delicious in Lucas's opinion, but it didn't amaze him like last night's meal. He couldn't explain it. It felt like something was missing…

 By the time they finished eating, they only had twenty minutes to get to Steven’s home. “Do you know where it is?” Toriel asked as they walked out the door.

 "Steven showed us where his house was yesterday," Frisk answered.

 “I see.” Toriel said. “If that’s the case, can you show me the way?”

The children started walking down the hill, with Toriel following behind them along the dirt paths paved throughout the hill. Along the way, they saw more and more Monsters getting out for the day. Like earlier, they were friendly enough, until they saw Toriel. Then, they'd either stare, glare, or start whispering among themselves. Apparently, Toriel's attempt to order around the Monsters and her outburst at Undyne didn't endear her to them. Still, it was rather discerning that they would hate Toriel in such a way. They called her "Traitor Queen"… But who exactly did she betray? And why?

They reached the bottom of the hill, near the Big Donut, and started walking on the beachside path. The tiny waves brushed against the shore, filling the air with a gentle churning sound and the salty spray of the sea. The gray cliffside was shining brightly in the light of the early morning sun, and Lucas could even see the sparkling of a few crystals shining in the rocks. All of this made for a calming and beautiful walk as they made their way to Steven’s home.

 "What a marvelous path…" Toriel sighed as if she was digesting all that she was experiencing. "I think I could walk along here every day… Are you sure Steven actually lives down here?"

 "Trust me, Mom," Frisk said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You won't miss his house."

 After a few more minutes of walking, the arm of the Crystal Temple came into view around the corner of the cliff. Toriel squinted, and then gasped as she saw the massive statue that held Steven's house.

"Great Dragon…" Toriel breathed. " _That’s_ Steven’s home?”

“See that house in the statue’s hands?” Kumatora asked, pointing to the house that was in front of the slope of dirt. “That’s where we’re going.”

 "To think we live next to this place…" Toriel said, still staring up at the statue. "I didn't even know it was here…" She paused. "Wait… do you hear that?"

 Lucas fell silent, as he strained to hear whatever Toriel had heard.  Indeed, he heard the gentle strumming of a stringed instrument in the distance.

 "That's a ukulele," Frisk said, looking up at the house. 

 "It seems we were on time then," Toriel said, as she started walking up the ramp of earth. The children followed suit, and as they climbed higher and higher, the strumming of strings grew louder. A familiar voice began to sing.

_If I could begin to be…_

_Half I what you think of me…_

_I could do about anything…._

_I could even learn how to love…_

They reached the top of the ramp and climbed up the wooden stairs that led to the balcony. In the corner of the balcony was a round table with a yellow umbrella, with four chairs placed on each side. There, sitting on one of the chairs, was Steven, strumming away at a tiny ukulele. His eyes were closed in concentration, so he didn't seem to notice that they had arrived.

Lucas couldn't help but stare at him. He wouldn't say that the music was the best thing he ever heard, but it was still quite nice. Steven looked so absorbed into playing his ukulele that Lucas didn't think he should interrupt. 

However, Kumatora didn’t seem to agree. “Morning Steven!” she called, waving at him.

Steven’s eyes shot open. “Guys!” he shouted, springing from his chair and running to them. “Good morning!”

"Good morning to you too, Steven," Toriel said with a smile.

Steven was positively giddy, making little hops up and down and shaking his arms. “I’m so glad you made it! I was kind of worried you forgot where my house was!”

"It's not exactly hard to remember where it is," Kumatora said, rolling her eyes. "Just had to think ‘find the huge four-armed statue sticking out like a sore thumb.'"

“Are the Crystal Gems here?” Toriel asked, looking around.

"They're in their rooms," Steven said. "I think they'll be out in a minute. Garnet's never late."

“You called?” a familiar voice said.

 Lucas turned his head to see Garnet, opening the front door of the house, her glasses flashing for a second in the light of the morning sun.

 "You made it," Garnet said, smiling at the group. "Welcome to our home, everyone."

 "Thank you for having us," Toriel said, giving a little bow. She looked up at the statue holding the house in its hands. "This is truly a fantastic residence you have. I didn't know such a place existed in a little town like this…"

 "The temple was here far longer than the city has," Garnet said. "It's been here for thousands of years… Since the Rebellion…"

 Garnet's tone got a little dour at that, and Toriel frowned. "I see" the Boss Monster replied. 

“So… you guys want to come inside?” Steven said, not seeming to notice the sobriety in the air.

 "That would be great," Frisk said. With that, Steven opened the door, and everyone walked inside. 

  To the right of them was an open kitchen with all the latest appliances, and three chairs at the outer counter. To the left of them was a sort of living room and bedroom rolled all into one. On the wall, a stair case led up a short distance up, which rose to an elevated floor. Tucked away in the corner of these stairs was a white couch and a small table, with a few clean empty plates stacked on it. A fireplace has built a few feet away from the table. It was funnel shaped, with a gated opening cut right into the shaft and a metal pipe that led up into the ceiling. The elevated floor seemed to serve as a sort of bedroom. Lucas saw a large bed with blue covers, with a tiny TV set placed right in front, but he couldn’t see much else from where he was standing.

However, what truly caught Lucas's attention was the other half of the room, separated by the wooden wall with a wide opening fashioned into it. Instead of another wooden room, the opening led to a cave of gray rock cut into the hillside. Lucas saw sparkling blue crystals sticking out of the walls, and on the far end of the cave wall was a door of stone, with a star engraved in the middle, and a white circle of silver crystal above it. In the midst of the room seemed to be a platform of white crystal, with a small set of stairs that rose to it.

Just before anyone could do anything, the star emblem on the door started to glow white. With a light buzzing, the door split down the middle, and a familiar thin Gem dressed in blue walked out.

"Oh!" Pearl exclaimed in surprise. "They actually came..."

“Morning Pearl!” Steven waved at her.

"Good morning, Steven," Pearl said, smiling as she walked to the group. "I see your friends came over… For…" Pearl turned to look at Garnet. "Why are they here again?"

"I wanted to talk to them about yesterday," Garnet said.

“And we had to bring them here for that?” Pearl asked.

Lucas frowned. Did she not want them here?

Garnet looked at Pearl. Lucas couldn’t read her expression through her glasses. “Pearl, now, Toriel and Frisk are the closest people we can trust to help us protect the Monsters that have moved in. I thought it would be good to show us where we live so they can come get us if they need us.”

"And these two…?" Pearl turned her gaze on Lucas and Kumatora, looking… Not angry exactly, but rather… Uncomfortable…

"I wanted to talk about those two as well," Garnet answered.

"Hmm…," Pearl went. "Well, regardless, you're all here now." She looked around the house. "So, what do you think of our home base?"

"It's… indeed rather homey." Toriel answered.

"I suppose it is," Pearl said dismissively. "It does have everything a human could need." Pearl's eyes settled on a spot on the wall. "And more."

Curiosity got the better of Lucas, and he turned to look at where Pearl was staring at. Hanging up on the wall was a portrait of one of the most women Lucas had seen. Her curly head of hair, which was the same shade of pink as a rose, was enormous, flowing down past the length of her waist and shaped in thick ringlets. The woman was wearing a white dress that seemed to waver just below her waist and had a star cut into the navel, revealing a pink gem attached to her belly. She seemed rather large, with a broad chest and thick arms, but with her eyes closed in complete serenity, she held herself with such confidence and grace that she still looked beautiful.

Lucas blinked as he stared at the portrait in wonder. For a moment, he wondered who she was, but when his eyes fell on the pink gemstone on the woman's navel, his mind immediately thought of Steven and his gem in the same place on his body.

“Is that Rose Quartz?” Lucas heard Frisk ask.

Pearl looked at her, surprised. “H-how do you know about her?”

"Steven told us a little about her yesterday," Frisk replied. "She's his mother, right?"

Pearl nodded at her, and glanced back up at the picture with a look at Lucas couldn't identify. Longing? Awe? "Yes… She was Steven's… Mother…" she said with a worryingly hollow voice.

"Was?" Toriel asked. "Forgive me if this is troubling you, but did something happen to her?"

The room was filled with melancholy and dread. Pearl's eyes widened, and she flinched as if someone hit her. Garnet adjusted her glasses, noticeably averting her eyes from anyone in the room. Steven's smile faded, and he looked down at the ground, almost like he was ashamed.

"Umm…. Mom?' Frisk nervously beckoned Toriel to come to her. Toriel walked to her and leaned down, letting Frisk whisper in her floppy ears. Toriel's eyes widened, and she clamped her hand over her mouth in shock and regret.

"Oh…" Toriel stood up straight and looked at the Gems and Steven in sympathy. "I'm so sorry for your loss…. I didn't know…"

Pearl’s eyes wavered. “Your loss…? Oh…” She looked at Steven. “You told them about that too?”

“Yeah…” Steven said, seeming to shrink in his seat.

"I see…" Pearl sighed. "Well… What's done is done. They know. We might as well address the issue while it's here."

Pearl looked back at Toriel and the other children, shifting in her spot and twiddling her fingers between her hands uncomfortably. "Well… As you've apparently been informed, Rose Quartz was the one who gave birth to Steven. Before that, she was the leader of the Crystal Gems."

“Your leader?” Toriel asked.                         Pearl nodded. "Yes… It was after Homeworld sealed the Monsters away. The Diamonds ordered us to start colonizing the planet and kill whatever organic life stood in our way. At this point in time, the majority of Gemkind believed that only Gems had the right to live, and any other types of life were only useful as resources to expand our empire. There was a minority of Gems that had reservations about this, but most of us were low-class Gems. None of us has the courage to speak out against the Homeworld Authority for fear of being shattered. All of us, except…"

Pearl looked up at the portrait with a sad smile. "Except Rose. She despised the way Homeworld treated organic beings and openly opposed their policies in court. I remember how she'd talk to me after she was forced to go on a mission for Homeworld. She'd be crying, lamenting the fact that she had hurt another living thing, that she had killed. She was always too kind for her own good..."

Pearl gave a wistful sigh before she kept talking. "The night after the Monsters were sealed away Underground, I caught away from her post… and she said this." With that, Pearl kneeled on one knee, closing her eyes. Suddenly, the gem on Pearl's forehead started to glow with a white light.  The light beamed out from Pearl's gem and formed an image of Rose Quartz right in front of her, facing Toriel and the children. Lucas gasped in surprise. It was as if Rose Quartz was standing right there in front of them, only the lighting from the gem on Pearl's head made it look like he was looking through a TV. Furthermore, the Rose Quartz in the image did not have the calm serenity that the portrait had. Her eyes were hidden by her hair as she looked at the ground, and her lips were twisted into a grimace.

“Wow…” Frisk gasped.

“I’m sorry.” The hologram said.

To Lucas’s surprise, Pearl responded to the image. “Whatever for?”

"What are doing?" Kumatora asked, raising a pink eye brow in confusion.

“Shhh!” Steven hissed. “She’s using holograms to show what happened!”

The image of Rose Quartz spoke again. "I can't do this anymore… I can't keep destroying… Not anymore…"

It was just then that Lucas noticed that it wasn't the Rose Quartz image talking. Instead, Pearl was speaking in synchronization with the hologram, making the illusion that it was speaking. "Rose…" Pearl said as herself.

"Those creatures were so gentle," Rose said. "They never attacked us first, never threatened us. They just wanted to live on their own without anyone bothering them. And yet we killed them. We sent the humans on them and wiped them out…" Rose clamped her hand over her mouth, choking back a sob. "That noble of theirs…. She was willing to let me go. She could have killed me right there, but she didn't… She just wanted to protect that little Monster… And yet when she turned her back, I…I…"

The image of Rose Quartz sobbed, holding her face in her hands as she cried. “When is it going to end? The humans may have helped us, but the higher ups are just going to kill them too. They have no use for them. All they care about is making more Gems…”

“You’re… speaking like more Gems would be a bad thing…” Pearl said.

Rose shook her head, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Pearl… There doesn't need to be more of us. Gems are eternal, unchanging, and undying. Even when the star of this solar system goes out, the Diamond Authority still exist, with every Quartz, Pearl, and Lapis existing only for the service of Diamonds who care nothing for us. We'll live for one thing, and one thing only, forever. But those Monsters… those humans… They're born without any purpose, and they're lives are so short compared to ours. And yet they're never afraid. They endure this planet that wants them dead. They grow, and they find their purpose in this chaotic world... How can these creatures be born with no specified purpose, live such short lives, and yet live with such organization and productivity, and be… Happy?"

Rose Quartz looked up from the ground, and her face seemed to be looking right at Lucas. She wasn’t crying anymore, but Lucas could still see the sorrow behind her eyes. How Pearl knew she looked like this when she apparently hadn’t been facing her, he didn’t know.

"If we learned more about the beings that dwelled on Earth… If we could understand their power to ‘change,' then someday _we_ could have that power ourselves. You…. Me… Every Gem on Homeworld could ‘change' and become better than the Gems we already are… We could be our own Diamonds. The masters of our own purpose. But the Diamonds will not allow for that. They only care about this planet for its resources. So they can have more power to uphold their _perfect_ Authority. So they can control us, and every living thing they come across. But what good is that going to be? What good is all this power, making more Gems, identical to others we already have, just to make a perfect, static world where nothing ever changes? Where not one of us can step outside the order laid out for us by selfish hands? And even if we could learn that power on our own, no species, no matter how different from us, deserve what we're doing to the Earthlings…"

Pearl was silent, and Rose Quartz didn't speak again for several minutes. Then, just when Lucas thought the recording was finished, Rose spoke. "Pearl?" she asked, turning to face Pearl.

“Yes?” Pearl replied, looking up from the spot she was kneeling at the image of Rose Quartz.

“I'm going to stay and fight for this planet," Rose said. "You don't have to do this with me.”

“But I want to!” Pearl suddenly shouted, her face lighting up with passion.

"I know you do." Rose said, and Lucas could almost hear the loving smile on Rose's face. "Please, please understand. If we lose, we'll be killed, and if we win, we can never go home.”

Pearl smiled at Rose, her blue eyes wavering. “But why would I ever want to go home, if you're here?”

Rose chuckled lightly and then held out her hand to Pearl. Pearl looked at in shock, like she was being offered something priceless with no charge, and took the hand, intertwining her fingers with Rose's.

“My Pearl…” Rose said, the fondness from before even more auditable. “You’re wonderful…”

At that last word, the image of the hologram distorted into static, before shattering into gray and blue particles. Pearl stood up once again, the smile that she gave to Rose still on her face.

"It was just the two of us at first," Pearl said, wiping her eyes for some reason. "Sabotaging Homeworld whenever they tried to make a new settlement, freeing humans that they imprisoned in their zoos, defeating their leaders in combat and bubbling their gems. There weren't many that supported us. Not at first. But as our victories grew more and more numerous, many Gems realized that Homeworld was not infallible. They realized that if Rose and I could break from Homeworld and make our own destinies, they could too. So, little by little, decade after decade, more and more Gems defected from Homeworld to join the Rebellion.  The humans who once fight for Homeworld against the Monsters joined our cause as Homeworld's true intentions came to light."

“And…?” Kumatora asked, folding her arms. “What did you and Rose do then?”

Pearl looked at Kumatora with a wistful expression. "We won. After a thousand years of fighting, we won. Homeworld left Earth. We were finally free."

They won. Considering that Earth was still present, Lucas could have guessed that… But it certainly didn't seem like they won…

_Many Gems on both sides were shattered. A lot of humans lost their lives. It was a maelstrom of destruction and death… We’re all that’s left of the Rebellion now._

Garnet had told them that when they first met the Crystal Gems. It seemed rather odd that Pearl was making it seem like they hadn’t lost countless lives during the war. Then again, she first began this explanation trying to tell them about Rose…

"Forgive me…" Toriel hesitantly interrupted Pearl. "I still don't quite understand. If she survived the war, then how did she… Die? With us Monsters out of the picture, you Gems should have been the most powerful beings on the planet. Surely, she couldn't have fallen in battle."

Pearl's smile faded. She turned away from them to look at Steven, who was still looking down at the ground like he was about to confess that he broke something. Pearl's mouth grimaced so slightly that Lucas almost thought he imagined it…

"Rose Quartz fell in love." Garnet suddenly spoke out, her commanding voice demanding the attention of everyone in the room.

“Ummm….” Toriel went. “Pardon me?”

"It was around twenty years ago," Garnet said. "Rose met a human named Greg Universe at one his concerts. We didn't think much of him at first, but Rose saw something in him. Something that she loved. They were together for six years. Then, Rose and Greg decided that they wanted to have a child."

"A child?" Toriel blinked, looking utterly perplexed. "Why would a Gem want a child? And how could she even produce one? You Gems don't have a genetic code…"

Realization flickered behind Toriel's eyes, and she looked at Steven. "Wait… You said that he was half-gem… And he showed that he has a Rose Quartz Gem on his body… That shouldn't be possible… Unless…" Toriel turned to look at Garnet. "Did this Rose Quartz… pass down her gem to Steven in the womb?"

Garnet nodded. "Yes." She answered.  Pearl looked away from them, and Lucas couldn't see her face.

Toriel gripped her chin, looking down at the floor in deep thought. "Brilliant… Theoretically, if she could shapeshift a womb, and support an organic being in her body, she could form the other half of the genetic code needed to reproduce with her own gem…" Suddenly, her eyes widened. "But… what happens to the Gem…?"

Toriel looked up at Garnet for an answer, but she was quiet. For a moment, no one spoke, and Lucas could feel the weight of dread in the room.

Then, Garnet sighed. "To pass her gem to Steven, Rose gave up her physical form. To this day, we're not sure what exactly happened to her… But as far as we know, she's gone… Forever…"

The finality in Garnet’s voice caused Lucas’s heart to break for the Crystal Gems. Rose Quartz had guided them through a dangerous war and fought by their side for centuries. And if what Pearl showed them with the hologram was any indication, they loved Rose, and Rose loved them. And then suddenly, she died so she could have a child. Even if that act gave them Steven, it still wouldn’t have made the loss any easier.

Toriel knotted her hands over her chest as if praying. "I don't understand." She said. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you Gems can shapeshift. If she only wanted to have a child, she could have mimicked the human reproductive system and gave birth to a completely human child. She didn't have to pass down her gem."

"We don't know why," Pearl said, looking up at them with empty eyes. Her voice was hollow, and yet there Lucas could hear a faint bit of resolve in it. "She didn't tell us why she wanted to do it. But it's what she wanted, and we're going to honor that wish, no matter what."

Toriel looked between Pearl, Garnet, and Steven, who was watching his guardians with guilt in his eyes. "I… see…" Toriel said uncomfortably.

They stood there in silence for several minutes, not knowing what to say. What could they say after the Gems revealed what happened? That everything would be alright? That at least they had Steven? It didn't seem appropriate, and Lucas felt that anything he had to say would make Steven or the Gems upset.

“So…” Kumatora finally spoke up, though she sounded a bit awkward. “Did you guys build the Temple inside the hill?

 "Why yes" Pearl replied, her eyes lighting up a little, which reassured Lucas. "This Temple was constructed around 5,000 years ago, as a home base for the Rebellion. To properly hide from our enemies, we designed several extra-dimensional rooms cut off from the normal plane of space-time. They can only be accessed through the door I came through, and our gemstones serve as the key to that door."

That explanation left Lucas confused. “What…?”

Garnet shook her head in Pearl's direction. "Essentially, the rooms exist in another world made from the magic produced at the heart of the Temple. You can only get to them if you have one of the gemstones that activate the door."

“In other words,” Toriel said. “If the person isn’t one of you Gems, they cannot enter.”

"Correct," Garnet said, adjusting her glasses.

“So what’s with the house built around it?” Kumatora asked.

Garnet shook her head. “When Steven was born, we decided that he needed a better place to live than Greg’s van. So, we attached the house to the entrance of the Temple, so that he could live with us.”

“Your father lives in a van?” Toriel asked, rising an eye brow.

"Yeah," Steven answered.

Toriel got a disgusted look on her face. “What a terrible father…”

“What?” Steven exclaimed. “No! It’s not like that! Dad helped build this house! He paid for the materials and everything! He still pays for all my food and everything because the Gems don’t have jobs!”

Toriel's eyes widened, and she looked at Garnet and Pearl. "What does he mean you don't have jobs?"

"He means exactly that," Pearl said indifferently. "Why would we have _human_ jobs? Gems don’t need to eat or sleep, and we’ve lived here far before the city had its first building. Besides, we’re far too busy _protecting_ those helpless humans for something as banal as a job.”

“Then…. How do you take care of Steven?” Toriel asked, looking between Steven and the two Gems, her crimson eyes full of concern.

"Simple," Pearl said. "As a Crystal Gem, Steven lives with us, and we train him as he does missions. _Greg…”_ she said that last word like sand from the beach had gotten in her mouth. “Pays for Steven’s human needs with the money he makes at the carwash.”

"If Greg pays for the house and pays for Steven's food, why doesn't he live with Steven?" Toriel asked. "Surely living with his son in a house would be better than living alone in a van."

Pearl glanced at the side, apparently trying to avoid eye contact. “He just can’t live with us.”

“Why not?” Kumatora insisted. “He’s his father. If he loves Steven enough to build an entire house for him, and still provide him with food, then wouldn’t he want to be with him? It’s hardly fair that you take his money and not let him see his own son…”

“He just can’t!” Pearl suddenly shouted, stomping her foot. “That human has no business being with the Crystal Gems! He never has!”

Lucas felt a bit of panic rise in his throat. What was going on? Why was Pearl so mean? All Kumatora asked was why Steven's father didn't live with them! That was an understandable question, wasn't it?

Wait…

_When mom became pregnant, she decided to pass her gemstone down to me. But a Gem’s gemstone is what’s really them. And a gemstone can’t hold two people at once. So, once she passed down her gem… She just… Disappeared._

Oh… is that why? Greg was Steven's father, so logically, he was responsible being born. If that hadn't happened, Steven's mother still would have been alive. Still, that wasn't fair. If what Steven said was any indication, Rose chose to pass her Gem to Steven. They couldn't blame Greg any more than they blame Steven. And if Rose wanted to be with a Greg, a human being, there must have been something that she must have liked about him…

"I don't think Rose Quartz would have agreed with you," Lucas said before he could stop himself.

Pearl turned, blinking at Lucas in disbelief, and then glared at him with such unexpected intensity that Lucas flinched. "What would you know?" she shouted. "You've never even heard of her until now!"

Lucas grabbed Toriel’s robe, trying to calm himself. She was right. He didn’t know very much about Rose. How could he defend what he just said to her?

Suddenly, Kumatora was by Lucas’s side, gripping his shoulder. “Actually…” She said, her voice having a dangerous edge on it. “Steven told us quite a bit about her yesterday. Got to the point quite a bit faster too.”

Pearl blinked again in surprise, but still maintained her glare. "Even so!" she growled. "He has no business speaking about matters he knows nothing…!"

"You hate him, don't you?" Lucas asked, interrupting her.

"Lucas…" Toriel said, and Lucas could hear the warning in her voice. The plead for him to stop. Lucas knew that he probably shouldn't be pressing on like this. The Gems loved Rose, and they were suffering from her loss. But the more Lucas saw the guilt on Steven's face, the more he heard about how they were treating Steven's father, the more he felt compelled to speak out. The Gems may be hurting, but did that justify them causing pain to others who don't deserve it?

"Greg was the one that Rose Quartz fell in love with," Lucas said, against his better judgment. "If they never met, Rose wouldn't have wanted a baby, and Rose would still be here with you. But Rose Quartz _chose_ to have Steven, didn't she? She could have said no, and even if Greg wanted the baby, he couldn't have made her have it. But she had Steven, even though she didn't have to. You said that yourself… But you still think he took her away from you…"

Steven stood up, looking at Lucas with wide eyes. "Lucas…" he said in disbelief. "What…?"

"But it makes no sense," Lucas said. "You hate him for taking her away, but she's the one who chose to leave. Why? It'd be like hating Steven for being born in the first place, and you don't hate him. Do you?"

Pearl stared at him as if he had just slapped her in the face, unable to form a coherent response. "I… umm… I…. I…."

 "Enough Pearl," Garnet said, walking up to her side and placing her hand on Pearl's shoulder sympathetically. 

Garnet looked back at Lucas with an unreadable expression. For a moment, Lucas thought he had crossed the line, and that she was going to yell at him for what he said. However, to his surprise, she only sighed warily. “Lucas…” she said gently. “I understand what you’re trying to say, and on some level, you’re right. But there’s so much about our situation that you don’t know about. We’ve been doing our best to make sure that Steven maintains a relationship with Greg and the rest of the humans. But having him live here is something that neither us or Greg are ready for. We know it’s not his fault, but it’s still hard. On him, as well as us.”

Lucas frowned, his heart feeling like it was made of lead. Somehow, Garnet being patient and understanding felt worse than her yelling at him. “I’m sorry.” He said, guiltily. “I shouldn’t have said anything…”

Garnet stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. I know you were just trying to help. Just next time, don't jump to a conclusion before you have all the information, alright?"

 "Says the woman who immediately decided to attack the Monsters when she saw them." Kumatora deadpanned. In response, Toriel gave her a little smack on the back of the head.

“In any rate…” Garnet said, standing back up. “It would be too dangerous for a human like Greg to be involved in the affairs of Gems.”

 Kumatora shot a glare at Toriel, rubbing the back of her head, and then at Garnet. "You do know that three of us here are completely human, right?"

 "Well… Garnet said, her tone becoming serious. "You and Lucas can hardly be called ordinary humans, can you?"

 Toriel’s gaze hardened. “That reminds me… You called us here because you wanted to talk about these two, correct?”

 Garnet nodded and then walked over to the couch. "Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable." Toriel nodded and pulled Lucas and Kumatora by the shoulder to the sofa. Frisk followed behind them, and they all sat down, with the kids sitting next to Steven. 

 "So…" Garnet said. ‘Let's review. Yesterday, you children took on Corrupted Gems, and even though you don't remember anything about yourselves, you somehow were able to hold your own, or in Kumatora's case, defeat them."

 "Yes," Toriel said, curtly. "We were all there. What of it?"

 "This is the second time that these two have used their magic in battle," Garnet said. "I had a glimpse of how powerful these two were when Lucas struck me with that technique when we first met, but here that was entirely on accident. This time, I saw Kumatora deliberately using her abilities, even though she supposedly can't remember anything, and Lucas, a tiny human child, hold down a Gem Monster several times his size."

“Where are you going with this?” Toriel asked.

 Garnet adjusted her glasses. "I suppose I'll just get to the point. There are two things I want to ask you two. One… You two showed quite the aptitude for combat yesterday, and Kumatora was casting spells whenever she wanted. Answer me honestly… Did you happen to remember anything about yourselves or your abilities?"

 Lucas frowned at the question. It seemed that Garnet was hoping that they had remembered some vital piece of information. But as far as Lucas knew, neither he or Kumatora remembered anything useful. He did have that dream last night, but there was no way to tell if it was real or a memory. Still, she wasn't entirely wrong, and it was better than nothing…

“I… think I remember a little…” Lucas hesitantly answered.

 Kumatora looked at him in surprise and then nodded. "Yeah… me too." She said. 

 Lucas could feel everyone in the room staring at them, and he tried to ignore it. "I… had a dream last night…" Lucas said, looking at the ground so he wouldn't make himself nervous looking at their faces. "I was in a place that felt familiar to me. There were two people there. A woman and a boy, my age. I can't remember their faces… But I know they were important to me…"

Lucas looked up to see that Garnet and Toriel were looking at him intently. “This woman…” Toriel asked, her hand sliding to grip Lucas’s in reassurance. “Was she… your mother?”

 Lucas frowned at that. "I don't know… Maybe… Probably… I'm not sure…"

“What happened in this dream?” Garnet asked.

 Lucas looked back on the ground, trying to the best of his ability to recall what happened. "I spent a lot of time with the woman and the boy. We played… We laughed… We enjoyed ourselves… Then…" Lucas hesitated again. "Something happened…"

 "You're going to have to be more specific than that" Pearl said curtly. She was staring at Lucas with a sharp glare that made him flinch. Was she angry over what he said?

 Lucas swallowed nervously, tugging at his shirt as he continued. "They disappeared. The two of them were gone… And a bunch of scary things started happening. Monsters were attacking me, and they weren't like the ones that live on the hill. They weren't natural, and they were trying to kill me. I fought them, and I think I… killed a lot of them…" Lucas shook his head at that word, trying to get rid of the inexplicable guilt he was feeling. "There were people too, yelling at me, trying to hurt me… I fought a lot of them too… Kumatora and another man were there, helping me… There was something hidden in a big box of metal. It said something that made me mad… Really mad… I tried to kill it for that…"

“Lucas…” Toriel gripped his hand, her eyes filling with worry.

 Lucas shook his head. "There was a man… No…, a boy. A boy in a mask. He had a sword, and he was trying to kill me. I didn't want to fight him. I begged him not to, but he wouldn't stop. Just as he was about to kill me, there was a flash of light, and he was dead. I cried over him. I can't remember why, but I think he was important to me…"

“That’s horrible…” Steven said, frowning in sympathy.

 “But it’s just a dream.” Pearl scuffed. “Just movies that play in a human’s mind when they sleep. It doesn’t tell us anything.”

 "Pearl," Garnet said sharply, making Pearl flinch. "Lucas, what happened after this?"

 Lucas shook his head. "I… remember pulling something out of the ground, and then…" Lucas paused. Should he tell them…?

“Lucas?” Garnet asked.

“I’m not sure if I should say…” Lucas said, hoping she’d relent.

“Lucas…” Toriel said gently. “If you’re trying to hide it, it’s probably important. Please, we’re trying to help you. If you remember anything that you think is important…”

Lucas looked up at Toriel’s face, her red eyes wavering and pleading. She honestly wanted to help him with this… He just couldn’t say no…

Lucas sighed. “I saw the time that Chara and Asriel first met.”

Toriel’s eyes widened, and Lucas could have sworn that she barely held back a gasp. “W-w-what?” she stammered.

“Who’s Asriel and Chara?” Pearl asked, glaring between Lucas and Asriel.

"They… were my children," Toriel answered with a shaky breath.

“Wait!” Steven suddenly cried out. “You have other children?”

Toriel shook her head. “Asriel and Chara have been dead for a long time, Steven. I just told Lucas and Kumatora about them last night…”

“Interesting…” Garnet said. “Can you describe what happened?”

 "Well…" Lucas replied, feeling Toriel's eyes staring at him. "I sort of… Was Asriel. I saw everything through his eyes. I- no, he was picking buttercups in a cavern in the underground, where there was an opening from the ceiling where the light shined. Then, Chara fell from the hole. She was hurt, and she was barely wearing anything. I- he looked around to see if there was someone who could help, but no one came, so I-he carried her into the Underground to get help. I woke up with a start after that."

 With that, Lucas finished. He looked back up at Toriel, who was staring at Lucas like she had seen a ghost. Pearl looked annoyed, Garnet's expression was unreadable through her glasses, and Steven, Kumatora, and Frisk just looked uncomfortable. 

“Well…” Toriel sighed. “I think we can be sure that last part was a dream.” Toriel smiled at Lucas, but he could still see the unease on her face. “You must have dreamed this because of what I told you last night. You have quite the imagination, Lucas…”

“What about you, Kumatora?” Garnet asked, turning to the pink-haired girl. “Do you think you remembered anything important?”

Kumatora was quiet for a moment, which was quite unlike her. Then, she said. “I… also had a weird dream last night.” She said

“I think we already established these dreams are meaningless.” Pearl snapped.

 "Pearl," Garnet warned. She turned back to Kumatora. "Go ahead, Kumatora."

 Kumatora nodded. "I… remember sailing on a white ship. I think I might have been a baby back then because I couldn't stop crying... There was a dead body next to me, and someone picked me up and took me to a castle."

 “A castle?” Toriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

 "Yeah," Kumatora answered. "A castle."

“Go on…” Garnet said.

“I remember gaining my abilities during this time. The person that raised me. They’re the ones that taught me PSI.”

“PSI?” Toriel asked. “What’s that?”

 Kumatora frowned. "It's…" Suddenly, Kumatora groaned, closing her eyes and holding her head in pain.

 "Kumatora?" Toriel cried, clutching the girl's free hand in concern. 

“PSI…” Kumatora mumbled, pain in her voice. “PK… Psychokinesis… Psychic… Power?”         

 Kumatora's eyes shot open, and Lucas saw something in light up in the dark green of them. "That's what our power is." She said, looking up at Garnet and Toriel. "That's what PSI means. Psychic Power."

Toriel frowned. “Are you telling us that your abilities aren’t magic?”

Kumatora shook her head. “Not exactly. The one who raised me did call it magic sometimes, but they also called it PSI. I think it’s different from what Monsters use.”

“That… can’t be” Garnet muttered, looking down at the ground in thought. “They were supposed to have been gone a long time ago…”

“Got something to say?” Kumatora asked.

“Maybe…” Garnet said, looking back up. “Please continue.”

Kumatora shrugged. “Not much left to say. My dream kind of went to shit the same way Lucas did. Weird monsters and people in masks appeared. I met Lucas sometime during these things were trying to kill me, and we fought together.” Kumatora frowned. “I… also dreamed of the thing in the box. I remember Lucas freaking out and trying to kill it. Then, we met the boy in the mask. I tried to help, but there was a flash of light. Next thing I knew, the boy was dead, and Lucas was cradling his body, crying. Then, Lucas pulled something out of the ground, and the dream just ended.”

“Anything else you think you need to say?” Garnet asked.

 Kumatora shrugged again. “Sorry. I got nothing.”

 "I see," Garnet said, adjusting the glasses on her face.

 "Okay," Pearl said, speaking a bit more calmly than how she before. "Garnet, Toriel, what can you possibly make of all this?"

“Well…” Garnet said. “I’ve heard the term ‘PSI’ before.”

“Really?” Pearl asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. “But… if you’ve heard it, why haven’t I?”

 "When I last heard the term, you hadn't emerged yet," Garnet answered. "It was a long, _long_ time ago, and Homeworld tried its hardest to make sure the incident wasn't recorded."

 “Hmm…” Toriel muttered. “Would you mind clarifying for us?”

 "It was tens of thousands of years ago." Garnet began. "The Homeworld Empire had just begun leaving our planet. We had observed the stars closely and prepared as much as we possibly could. But nothing could have prepared us for what we encountered..." 

“What do you mean?” Toriel asked.

  "There was another advanced species besides us. An alien empire that conquered uncountable planets before Homeworld reached the stars. We don't still have no idea where they came from, but when we saw them for the first time… It was a disaster." 

 "A disaster?" Toriel asked. "But… You're Gems… What could have these creatures possibly done to frighten even Homeworld?"

 Garnet looked at her, and even though Lucas couldn't see her face, something about her demeanor became dour. "You're right. We Gems are powerful. But remember, we had trouble with you Monsters. Even we're not invincible. These things… Their powers far outstripped anything that you Monsters could do with your magic."

Toriel’s eyes widened. “What?”

“How is that possible?” Frisk asked. “From what I’ve seen, magic can do almost anything!”

 "I don't know, but I've never seen any Monster do anything close to what these things could do," Garnet replied, her voice grim. "All they had to do was stare at you, and they could destroy you in a thousand different ways. They could set you on fire. They could freeze you. They could make electricity course you. Sometimes, they didn't even have to do that much. They could just look at you, and suddenly, you would get thrown across a planet, or your body would explode into a thousand pieces, and you'd never be able to comprehend what hit you. And that wasn't even half of what they could do…"

“No way…” Frisk muttered, staring at Garnet with wide eyes.

 Garnet nodded at her. "They could know and understand things we couldn't possibly understand with just the powers of their minds. They could see whatever we thought when we were there with them, and send their thoughts to us just by wanting it. They could see all possibilities of the past, future, and everything in between, no matter how far away it was. It didn't matter who smart we were. They'd always be dozens of steps ahead." 

“My Lord…” Toriel gasped. “How in the Dragon’s green earth did the Gems survive this war?”

 "We very nearly didn't," Garnet said. "Those creatures kept pushing us back further and further to Homeworld, wiping out colonies and star fleets with just a thought. We tried to resist, but every move we made just led us to another trap, and they'd shatter more Gems. Our numbers dwindled, and eventually, we were reduced to the hundreds, cowering in fear on Homeworld, waiting for the day that the alien race would wipe us out. But… They never came. We kept waiting and waiting, over hundreds of years, not daring to go off the planet again, but there was no invasion, no alien star ships, nothing. Eventually, after a few thousand years passed, we built up the nerve to send a probe to see what was out there. Nothing."

 Kumatora looked at her in disbelief. “Nothing?”

 "Yes," Garnet replied. "One day they just… vanished. To this day, we're still not sure where they went, or if they're still out there. All I know is, we hope to the stars above we never see them again…"

 "Forgive my rudeness," Toriel said. "But what does this have to do with Lucas and Kumatora?"

 “Those powers that those creatures had?” Garnet replied. “They were called PSI.”

 Pearl and Toriel looked like they swallowed lemons. "You're joking," Toriel said.

 Garnet shook her head. “Afraid not. Those creatures did similar things to what Kumatora did yesterday. I’ve even seen a few heal themselves with their power, much like Lucas.”

“But…” Pearl cried. “That can’t be the same power, Garnet! They’re just humans! They _can’t_ be that powerful! Ever!”

“I hate to agree with Birdy over there.” Kumatora cut in. “But even I don’t think I can make someone explode with my brain.”

"Neither could I," Lucas said. This PSI business was getting a little confusing, and he honestly hoped that it was the same horrifying power that Garnet was talking about. Still, the term felt… Right for his powers. It certainly felt better than "magic" or "spells." Perhaps Kumatora was right about that at least… 

“What about magic on Earth?” Lucas asked Toriel. “You and Mr. Asgore said there used to be human mages.”

 Toriel nodded. "Yes, Lucas. In my time, there were humans who could use magic. However…" Toriel suddenly hesitated.

“What?” Kumatora asked, leaning toward Toriel to listen to her.

 Toriel sighed. "According to our history books, the first human mage was born when a Monster reached into her soul and placed a fragment of his soul inside. This process awakened the spiritual energy within the human and granted her access the vast resources of power that permeates the planet. Humans and Monsters got along a lot better back then, and soon, many Monsters were awakening humans that they grew close to. Those humans who were awakened were sometimes able to pass on their power to their children, and those humans to their children."

“And?” Kumatora asked.

 "Well…" Toriel said. "I believe it was around the third generation of magic users that human and Monster relations started to sour. The humans were growing suspicious of us because of the rumor that we Monsters could become stronger by absorbing human souls. Then…by the time Homeworld came, our relations were heavily strained, and there weren't very many Monsters that would dare awaken a human. Humans were already deadly _without_ magic. Can you imagine the destruction a human mage could inflict on our populace?”

Honestly, Lucas was still having difficulty wrapping his head around the fact that a human could be so deadly to a Monster, simply because of the power of their anger. Still, something had to have given the humans an edge if they had been able to seal away the Monsters.

 "As a result, mage populations started to decline," Toriel said. "By the time the war between humans and Monsters started, there weren't that many left. But there were enough to devastate our forces. With their magic and their powerful souls, we were wiped out. Then, the seven mages erected the seal, and the rest is history."

“Mom…” Frisk said sympathetically, going around the table to put her hand on her shoulder.

  "There are many rules and limitations to human magic that aren't necessarily there for Monsters." Toriel continued, folding her hand over Frisk's. "I haven't had enough time to observe what you can do to compare you to the human mages. Furthermore, as far as I know, for a human to be able to use magic, their souls must be unlocked, either by inheritance or by a Monster. You two seemed to show magical power before we even met you, and there is no way you encountered a Monster before we reached the surface. So that only leaves…" Toriel looked up at Pearl and Garnet. "There might be people who were descended from human mages. Are there any humans who show magical power in these times? Any that used magic before the Monsters reached the surface?"

Pearl frowned, placing her fingers on her chin in thought. “Hard to say. As you said, there weren’t very many during the war of the Monsters, but after that… the numbers declined even further.”

 "All thanks to the Swine King," Garnet said darkly. 

At those words, Toriel’s eyes hardened, and for a moment, Lucas saw them light up in rage before dying down. “Why am I not surprised?” she growled. “He liked to use mages as his own personal weapons, but he always hated magic. He made that clear when he waged war against us.”

Swine King? “Who’s that?” Lucas asked. “The Swine King?”

 Toriel growled again, rising from her seat suddenly. "He's the one who waged war against Monsters to begin with. He's the one who preached hatred and violence against those who had the gift of magic, who aligned with Homeworld even though he knew what they wanted to do to the Earth. He's the one who killed all of the noble families of our Kingdom and killed our Queen!"

Fire burst from Toriel’s mouth as she shouted, making the children jump back in a panic. “Mom!” Frisk cried. “Calm down!”

Toriel took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she sat back down. “I’m sorry.” She said, opening her eyes once again. “Thinking of him brought back some… painful memories…”

 "Anyway…" Pearl said, staring at Toriel with concern. "After the Monsters were sealed away, the Swine King turned his sights on the human mages. He rounded them all up and put them in isolated settlements, where they were put under constant surveillance and conditions that weren't suitable for human life. Any who disobeyed would be killed. To make matters worse, the civilians were no paranoid that the mages would destroy them or release the Monsters from their prison, so they hunted for them, killing and torturing any they could find. Homeworld only worsened it even further by hunting down mages themselves, or spreading rumors of their ‘evil activities.'"

"Soon, there were hardly any left," Garnet said.  "And with that, Homeworld decided that the Earth was ready to invade."

“I see…” Toriel replied grimly. “Were there any survivors?”

 "A few," Pearl replied. "We've met a few humans who could use magic now and then after the Rebellion… But they were very few and far between, and they only grew rarer as time went on. The last human that we've personally seen with any magical powers was around a thousand years ago…"

 "It is possible that we've missed quite a few," Garnet said. "We haven't really been looking for them, and we aren't around humans enough to know. But if there are mages, we don't know where or who they are."

 Toriel sighed. "I see… I suppose it can't be helped. Well, at least  we've narrowed it down somewhat." Toriel looked between Lucas and Kumatora.  "I believe that the most likely answer to the mystery of your powers is that you are descendants of the human mages of old. Your abilities have been passed down from generation to generation, and for some reason, they awakened inside of you."

“And for some reason, your powers resemble the abilities of an old enemy of Homeworld’s” Garnet added, adjusting her glasses yet again. “They might be a lesser form of PSI. They might just look like PSI. In any case, you two are very powerful. It would be rather dangerous to leave you two alone…”

Toriel looked up at Garnet in surprise. “What do you mean?” she demanded.

 "You saw what these two are capable of," Garnet replied. "Right now, these two can keep up with Corrupted Gems with some effort, but they're still relatively weak. Furthermore, even though they've gotten better, they still need improvement."

“Excuse me?” Kumatora cried.

"I saw you when you first threw lightning at the termite," Garnet said. "You missed and hit the building behind it. What if Steven had been there instead?"

“It’s not my fault!” Kumatora yelled defensively. “PK Thunder is damn near impossible to control!”

“And you Lucas” Garnet said, ignoring Kumatora.

Lucas flinched at the Gem’s acknowledgment. “M-me?” he stammered.

 Garnet kneeled so that she could look at Lucas in the face. "You're strong for a human child. If I had to guess, I'd say you're as strong as Steven. Or maybe even Amethyst…"

“Impossible!” Pearl suddenly shouted, her face going blue in the cheeks. “He’s a human! He might have held his own against a Corrupted Gem, but there’s no way he can compare to a _real_ Gem!”

“Pearl!” Steven cried, looking at Pearl like she just hit him. “Stop being so mean!”

“Arm wrestle him then.” Garnet suddenly said.

The whole room looked at Garnet like she had just said that fire was cold. “Huh?” Pearl went.

 "You and Lucas," Garnet said. "Arm wrestle. See who's stronger than the other."

 “Are you _mad_?” Toriel cried. “Even if she’s a Pearl, she’ll snap his arm like a twig!”

 "I don't think so," Garnet replied, looking at Lucas. "What do you say, Lucas? Want to see how strong you really are?"

 Lucas stared at her, utterly stunned. Did Garnet want him to arm wrestle Pearl? She kicked that whole termite across a _clearing_! Then again, Pearl had only done that with Undyne’s help, and there was no telling how strong she was.

 Lucas still couldn't read very much of Garnet's expression behind her glasses, but it didn't seem like she was going to back down.

“Okay…” Lucas said hesitantly.

“Pearl?” Garnet turned to the other Gem, who still looked completely flabbergasted.

“G-g-garnet?” Pearl stammered in disbelief.

 "What?" Garnet asked, giving a little amused smiled at Pearl. "Are you scared of a little human child?"

 “Of -of course not!” Pearl cried defensively. She took a breath, composing herself. “Very well, Garnet. I’ll humor you.”

 With that, Pearl sat down in front of Lucas, glaring at him as she rested her elbow on the table and held out her hand. Lucas gave a nervous gulp, before resting his elbow on the table, gripping Pearl's hand in his own. Lucas shuttered. Pearl's hand was surprisingly cold, and she had a surprisingly strong grip, even though he was sure she was holding him lightly.

 "You can do it, Lucas!" Steven suddenly piped, leaning forward to watch the match. Lucas could help but give a small smile at Steven in response. At least _one_ of them thought he could do it…

 "On my count," Garnet said, going to the other end of the table to oversee Lucas and Pearl. "Begin"

 At that, Lucas's arm was suddenly pulled down by Pearl, who didn't even give him a moment to push her. Lucas yelped and reflexively yanked his arm in the other direction just before his hand hit the table. There was a shout of surprise from Pearl, and then a bang on the table, and to Lucas's shock, Pearl's hand was resting on the table, with his own hand was resting on top.

Pearl blinked in disbelief. “What…?” she went.

Garnet put her hands on her hips, her coy smile still on her face. “What was that about him being weak?”

Pearl went blue in the face as he tore her hand away from Lucas. “I wasn’t ready!” she cried. “Let’s do it again!”

“Lucas?” Garnet asked. “What to do two out of three?”

“Umm…” Lucas hesitated. “Okay…”

 Lucas and Pearl clasped hands over the table again. "On my mark," Garnet said. "Begin."

 This time, Lucas was ready for Pearl. He pushed down as forcefully as he could, but to his surprise, he met resistance. Lucas groaned, trying his best to force Pearl down, but it was like pushing at an iron wall. Slowly but surely, Pearl pushed him down, grinning through the strain she was applying to subdue Lucas. 

Lucas’s hand was getting closer to the table, inch by inch, until his knuckles were almost brushing the table. He tried to push away at Pearl’s arm, but his arm felt like it was on fire. He was going to lose…

_Is that all you've got? Come on Lucas! I thought **you** were stronger than that…_

Lucas looked at Pearl, who was looking down on him with that smug, self-satisfied smile. Why…? Why was she treating him like this? Why was she so certain that he couldn’t do anything?

_He’s a human! He’s weak! He’s fragile! So why...?_

_That can’t be the same power, Garnet! They’re just humans! They can’t be that powerful! Ever!_

_He’s a human! He might have held his own against a Corrupted Gem, but there’s no way he can compare to a real Gem!_

_He’s human!_

Was that why she hated him? Was that why she thought he would amount to nothing? Because he was _human_? Did she think she was so much better than him because he was a Gem? Was that it? But she was a Crystal Gem! She dictated her life to protecting Earth, but she still thought humans were inferior?

 A seething fury burned in Lucas’s chest, and he growled, pushing at Pearl’s arm. This time, she gave way, and the smile on her face was gone, replaced by shock and bewilderment. He pressed on, pushing Pearl’s arm until they were level on the table. He looked at Pearl dead in the eyes, and in the back of his mind, he noticed her shuddering. But for once, he couldn’t find it in him to care how someone else was feeling. All he cared about was proving this arrogant Gem, this _hypocrite_ , that she had no idea what she was dealing with.

"We…!" Lucas growled, focusing as much of his anger into his arm as he could. "Aren't…! WEAK!" And with a cry, Lucas pushed Pearl's arm down with all his strength and slammed her hand on the table. There was a loud snap of wood underneath them, and the table collapsed.

Lucas let go, panting and heaving. He was sweating, and his arm felt like it was on fire. But he did it. He beat Pearl.

 Frisk and Steven stared at Lucas in bewilderment, unable to do or say anything from the shock of seeing Lucas break the table. “Holy…” Steven managed to say.

Toriel looked similarly stunned, clasping her hand over her muzzle. "L-Lucas…" she whispered. "What…?"

“Yep.” Kumatora piped out, cutting her off. She had her hands resting on both sides of her face and her elbows on her knees, a cheeky grin on her face. “That’s about what I expected.”

Pearl cradled her bruised, shaking hand. She looked at Lucas with wavering eyes, her mouth open in disbelief. 

Immediately, all of the anger Lucas felt towards Pearl vanished, leaving only guilt and shock in its place. He had only wanted to win against Pearl, to prove that he could be her equal. Lucas hadn't wanted to hurt her. How was he going to fix this?

Suddenly, Lucas remembered when he had healed Asgore when he had met. It had been on accident, but if he did it once, surely, he could do it again… Could he?

 “I’m sorry!” Lucas said earnestly, reaching for Pearl’s bruised hand. “Here, let me…”

Before he could touch her hand, Pearl sprang up from her seat.  Her gaze turned hard and penetrating like she just experienced something disgusting and wrong. Lucas flinched, looking up wanting to apologize again, but nervousness and fear choked his voice. What could he possibly say to make Pearl feel better? Make her not mad at him?

Then, without another word, Pearl turned around and went for the cavernous end of the room, still cradling her hand like she was wounded.

“Wait!” Steven cried worriedly, jumping from the couch as he did so. “Pearl!”

Pearl didn’t answer. She walked over the stairs, over the crystal platform, and the gem on her forehead began to shine. The star emblem on the door glowed in response, and the door opened right down the middle.

Pearl stepped inside, and the door slammed shut, cutting her off from the outside world.


	14. A Difference in Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet wants to train Lucas and Kumatora in combat, but Toriel and Frisk hate violence of any kind! Can Garnet and the rest of the children convince them to let the psychics train?  
> No crying until the end, okay?

"Well someone's a sore loser," Kumatora said.

“I’m sorry!” Lucas groaned, looking at the ground in shame. “I just wanted to beat her! I didn’t mean to yell…”

"You probably should have held your tongue," Toriel said as she waved her hand at the shattered table. The fragments glowed green as the wood fused itself back together, piece by piece until the table stood as good as new. "Still, I don't exactly blame you for your little outburst. That Pearl was awfully rude to you..."

"Seriously," Kumatora grunted in agreement. "Why does she hate humans so much? I mean I know it's their fault the Monsters got sealed away, but that had nothing to do with _her_...”

"She doesn't hate humans," Garnet said, putting a hand on Kumatora's shoulder. "Pearl is a very… Prideful Gem. She hates losing to anyone, even to other Gems. I know you don't like hearing this, but the truth is that humans are typically much weaker than Gems. So, imagine how a prideful Gem like her would feel if a weak little human beat her in a test of strength."

“So, Lucas should have let her win because she gets butthurt?” Kumatora asked sarcastically.

"No," Garnet said. "Honestly, she needed that. She needed to learn that you two are to be taken seriously."

“You sure she’s not just gonna stay butthurt and keep treating us like shit?” Kumatora asked.

“She’ll be fine.” Garnet shrugged. “Just give her a few days.”

"I hope you're right," Frisk said, looking at the table that Toriel repaired intently, and then at Lucas. "Still… Lucas, I knew you were strong, but I didn't think you'd actually beat her…"

"Honestly, I expected as much," Garnet said. "This only proves my point. These two have a great amount of power. Right now, it's raw and unrefined, but with a little bit of work…"

“What are you getting at?” Toriel asked, raising an eyebrow at the Gem.

"I'm saying that these two need to be trained," Garnet replied.

Toriel blinked at Garnet, staring at her with a blank expression. “I already plan on training them with magic.” She said. “And there isn’t much that a Gem could do to…”

“I meant how to fight.” Garnet interrupted.

Toriel’s face hardened. “My children are not warriors.” She growled.

“They have great potential.” Garnet retorted. “If they were to master their powers, imagine the things they could do…”

"They will not be warriors!" Toriel insisted, her voice flaring up in passion. "Magic is meant to create, not to harm!"

"Funny" Garnet said dryly. "You and the rest of the Monsters didn't seem to remember that when the Corrupted Gems attacked yesterday."

Toriel growled in annoyance. “Yesterday was an accident. We had no choice but to protect ourselves…”

"And what if that happens again?" Garnet asked. "There are a lot more Corrupted Gems than the ones we faced yesterday, and they attack the Beach City area quite often. We Gems can protect the area as much as we can, but the Corrupted Gems are attracted to magic. If these children were left alone without any of us, the Corrupted Gems would go straight for them."

“That doesn’t mean they have to fight!” Toriel insisted. “They can just run away and get one of us for assistance!”

Garnet gave her a flat look. "And what if there isn't one of us around? Are you going to risk your children being killed just for your shallow ideal?"

“Shallow?” Toriel shouted, flames bursting from the Boss Monster’s nose. “Garnet, I will not lose another child to pointless violence! They will _not_ learn how to fight!”

“ _Excuse me_?” Kumatora snapped, drawing the attention of both Garnet and Toriel. “Why are you deciding our future for us? Don’t we have a say in this?”

“Kumatora…” Toriel protested.

"She's right," Garnet said, adjusting her glasses and turning her gaze to the children. "Kumatora. Lucas. You're the ones who fought by our side and have the power. Would you like to train in how to fight with your PSI abilities?"

Lucas looked down at the ground, gathering his thoughts. “I… I don’t want to fight…” he said. “I don’t want to hurt people…”

“You see?” Toriel said with a smug smile on her muzzle. “They’re not interested in becoming warriors.”

“You wimp…” Kumatora grumbled.

“Huh?” Lucas looked at Kumatora, stunned by the aggression in Kumatora’s voice.

Kumatora was glaring at him. “Of all the things that I forgot, I thought that at the very least, I knew who _you_ were.” Kumatora shrugged her shoulders bitterly. “Guess I was wrong.”

“K-k-kumatora?” Lucas stammered. “What are you…?”

"You're telling me that if one of those things attack again, you're just gonna watch it destroy the city?" Kumatora demanded in an infuriated growl. "You're telling me that even all that power of yours, you'd rather sit on your ass and let it kill someone?"

“No!” Lucas cried. “I just don’t want…”

"The Lucas I knew was a lot of things," Kumatora said. "And yeah, he was a crybaby. But he was _not_ a coward!” At this, she jabbed a finger into Lucas’s chest. “He’d never let someone get hurt just because he didn’t want to! I thought you were stronger than that!”

“Kumatora!” Frisk said, gripping her wrist to pull her hand off Lucas. “Calm down!”

Kumatora pulled her hand away with a frustrated grunt. “If you’re not gonna step up Lucas, fine.” She growled. “I’ll protect this place with or without your help.”

Lucas’s throat went dry. What was he going to do? He didn’t want to fight anyone. The thought of intentionally hurting anyone made him so sick that he couldn't see straight. But Kumatora was his friend! He couldn't just let her fight those Monsters on her own. And even if he could… Would she even be able to look at him the same way? 

"Kumatora, wait," Lucas said, reaching out and wrapping his bare hand around Kumatora's gloved one. The fabric of the glove was soft to the touch, and Lucas could feel the tingling of energy on his skin.

Kumatora looked at him in the eyes, her face full of expectation. Lucas sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t _want_ to fight…” Kumatora glared again, but before she could say anything, he continued speaking, putting his other hand underneath hers. “But I can’t let you do this all alone. Even if I can’t remember it, we’ve gone through too much together for me to leave you. So… I think I’ll train with you and Garnet. So I can protect you.”

Kumatora blinked at him in surprise, before smiling back and putting her other hand on top of Lucas’. “Promise you won’t wuss out on me half-way through?”

Lucas smiled, despite himself. "I promise."

“Good!” Kumatora replied cheerfully, giving Lucas’s hand a little shake, letting go and turning to face Garnet. “So, when do we start?”

“Children!” Toriel shouted, stomping towards them with a glare that made Lucas’s heart skip a beat. “We never decided anything.”

Lucas' mouth went dry, as he struggled to find the words that wouldn't make Toriel angry. "Ms. Toriel…" he said. "I know you're worried about us, but if we have the power then isn't our responsibility to use it to protect people?"

“You are children!” Toriel insisted. “It’s not your responsibility to protect anyone, even if you have magic!”

“But…” Lucas protested weakly.

"Children," Toriel said, towering over the two of them as she stared them down. "I know you just want to help, but it isn't your place to protect the city. Leave that to the adults. I won't let you do otherwise."

Lucas swallowed a lump in his throat. In his heart, he was sure that Toriel would never hurt him, but with her standing so close to them, it was hard not to be intimidated by how much taller than them she was. Moreover, she seemed adamant in making sure that they wouldn't train. Toriel was the one taking care of them, and she never once complained about it or asked for anything in return. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't train if Toriel said no. Could they?

“You don’t get to decide that for us!” Kumatora shouted, standing up on her toes, putting her head just above Toriel’s waist. “These are _our_ powers and our lives, and we'll decide what we're gonna use ‘em for!"

“Young lady!” Toriel growled, glaring at Kumatora with her teeth bared. “Until the time comes that your memories return and we find out where you come from, you and Lucas are living under my roof, and under my rules! You don’t know anything about the world, much less than what’s best for yourself. And I say you are not to become a warrior!”

“And what makes you so sure that you know what’s best for us?” Kumatora growled back, shooting her own glare at the Boss Monster.

“Because I am six thousand years your elder!” Toriel yelled.

“Yeah” Kumatora scoffed. “Like that means shit. With that logic, Pearl was right to treat us like crap earlier because she was older than us. Now that you mention it, she’s older than you! Does that mean you should listen to her? And didn’t you spend most of those six thousand years in a cave?”

“Stop confusing the issue!” Toriel screamed.

“ENOUGH!” Garnet roared, her deep voice making the room rumbled for a moment. Lucas jumped in surprise.

The whole room turned to stare at Garnet, stunned that she could even raise her voice. Garnet looked from Toriel and the children, before saying “Steven, why don’t you and the rest of the children go play in Beach City while Ms. Toriel and I talk?”

“Garnet…” Steven said, looking at his guardian unsurely.

“It’s fine, Steven” Garnet said. “Just leave this to the adults for now.”

Steven turned to Lucas, Kumatora, and Frisk. “Guys?”

Lucas nodded and tugged at Kumatora’s shoulder. “Let’s go…”

“What?” Kumatora cried. “But they’re…”

 Lucas leaned towards Kumatora. “There’s nothing we can do.” He whispered in Kumatora’s ear. “Even if we want to do it, we need Ms. Toriel’s permission, and she won’t listen to us.”

 Kumatora growled in frustration. "Fine. Let's get out of here." With that, Kumatora stomped towards the door. Lucas shared an uneasy look with Frisk and Steven, before heading to the door. "Thank you for having us over," Lucas said to Garnet over his shoulder. 

"No need to thank me," Garnet said with a strange smile on her face. "You'll be back soon after all..."

“Stay safe!” Toriel called as they went out the door. “And be back by sundown!”

….

“That condescending bitch!” Kumatora screamed as soon as they walked down the stairs outside.

 "Quiet down!" Frisk hissed, jumping down a couple of stairs before glaring up at her. "She'll hear you!"

 “Don’t care!” Kumatora shouted in defiance. “That old bat has no right to decide if we can protect people or not! These powers are _ours_!”

 “She’s just trying to keep us safe” Lucas protested. “Those Gem monsters are dangerous. I don’t think it’s fair to be so mad, Kumatora.”

 “Especially considering what happened to Asriel and Chara…” Frisk quietly added.

 Kumatora growled in frustration, running a hand through her pink hair. Then, without warning, Kumatora whirled towards the ocean and threw her hand down. A ball of fire burst from Kumatora's palm mid -throw, racing through the air and striking the beach in front of her. There was a tiny explosion that sent bits of charred sand flying everywhere.

“Cripes!” Frisk screamed, dashing a few meters away from the group in her surprise. Steven, not having the speed or time to run, reflexively summoned his rose shield to his hand to block the debris from the explosion. 

“Kumatora!” Lucas shouted, raising an arm over his face to keep the hot sand from his eyes. “Calm down! Please!”

 Kumatora took a few shaky breaths, looking down at the ground with a feral expression. In a few moments, her breathing evened out, and she closed her eyes with a calm sigh. 

“Are you okay?” Steven asked, dispelling his shield and looking at Kumatora with a concerned expression.

“No…” Kumatora grumbled, forcefully folding her arms.

Frisk ran back to them as the dust from the explosion settled. “Kumatora…” she groaned in annoyance, getting ready to admonish the girl for her recklessness.

"GUYS!” a high-pitched voice called out. Frisk turned in the direction of the voice, and to her surprise, she saw a familiar, brown-skinned girl dressed in a blue beach dress running down the beach towards them, waving an arm at them as she did so.

“Connie!” Steven yelled back with a huge grin on his face, as Connie stopped in front of them, bending over and putting her hands on her knees as she struggled to breathe. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard… what happened yesterday…” Connie gasped, standing up straight. “I wanted to make sure you were okay…”

“But don’t you have school?” Steven asked.

Connie raised her eyebrow at him. “It’s Saturday Steven.”

“Oh!” Steven piped. “Great!”

“Um…” Kumatora went. “Who are you?”

 Connie stared at Kumatora blankly. “I’m Connie.” She said. “Steven and I were the ones who found you?”

 "Oh," Kumatora said, placing a hand on the side of her head. "I remember now."

 “I don’t think _we_ met though," Lucas said, pointing between himself and Connie. 

 "We did actually" Connie replied. "I was there when the Gems met the Monsters."

 Lucas blinked at her, confused. “You were?”

 Connie's face fell. "Yeah… Though, I guess I didn't do that much…"

“Oh…” Lucas said, his face falling. “I’m sorry I forgot…”

 Connie's eyes drifted to the ground in thought. "Well… You and Kumatora were in a stressful situation. You were still suffering from your recent amnesia, so you had no idea who you were or what was happening, and you were in the middle of a dangerous fight between the Gems and Monsters. It wouldn’t be reasonable to expect you to remember every little thing… And I guess it didn’t help that I never introduced myself to any of you three either… So…”

“Why don’t you do that now?” Steven said. “Introduce yourself!”

Connie flinched at the sudden yell from Steven. “O-oh!” she stammered. “I guess…” Connie gave a nervous laugh before holding out her hand to nobody in particular. “I’m Connie Maheswaran! It's nice to meet you guys officially!"

 Frisk took her hand quickly. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Connie. I’m Frisk Dreemurr, the new ambassador for the Monsters.”

 Connie laughed again. "Believe me, Frisk, I _know_ who you are. If the news coverage is any indication, the whole _world_ knows who you are.” She looked at Lucas. “And… you’re Lucas, right?”

 "Yes," Lucas said with a nod, taking her hand and shaking it with a tiny smile. "It's good to meet you, Connie."

Connie nodded and turned to Kumatora. “I definitely remember your name, Kumatora.”

 Kumatora nodded in acknowledgment. "So you know the Crystal Gems?"

 "Yeah!" Steven answered for her. "She hangs out at our house all the time! And she trains with Pearl and me!"

 “What?” Kumatora cried, her eyes wide in disbelief. “ _You_ train with _Pearl_?”

Connie rubbed the back of her head, looking to the side sheepishly. “Yeah… Pearl’s teaching me how to use a sword. I want to become strong enough to protect Steven from getting hurt by bad Gems or Monsters….”

“But…” Lucas said, baffled. “Pearl doesn’t like humans!”

“What makes you say that?” Connie asked. “I mean… yeah, she and the Gems are kind of distant at times, and they kind of treat the citizens like we’re weak, but we are weaker than them…”

 "Well, she hates us," Kumatora said, folding her arms. "Apparently, she doesn't like that a couple of humans are more powerful than her." 

 “Huh?” Connie raised an eyebrow at the pink haired girl.

 "Well, Lucas and I helped fight a few Corrupted Gems yesterday," Kumatora said. "Garnet saw us using our powers and invited us over to Steven's house. Then she had Lucas' arm wrestle Pearl and Lucas beat her." 

 “What?!” Connie cried in confusion, looking at between Lucas and Kumatora. “ _Lucas_ beat _Pearl_? Wait… The two of you _fought Corrupted Gems_?”

 "Yeah, we fought," Kumatora said with a shrug. 

 Connie blinked in bewilderment. "Does… That mean you remembered how to use your powers? Did you regain any memories?"

  Kumatora’s face fell. “Kind of….”

 “We… had dreams…” Lucas said.

 Connie looked at them, and then at Steven. “Okay… tell me exactly what happened yesterday.”

….

 The children sat down in a circle by the cliffside as they told Connie all that had happened the day before. Connie was... a rather active listener. She reacted to practically everything the other children told her; smiling and nodding as she heard about them racing each other and playing, getting panicked when Steven told them about the ambush by the monstrous termites, and passionately cheering them on as they talked about the fight. Every time she didn't follow something they said, or they left out an important detail, she'd ask them a question, and they'd try their best to answer. By the time Lucas and Kumatora finished telling about Connie about their dream, the sun had risen a good distance above the horizon, and a gentle breeze was starting pick up. The waves had gotten larger, reaching further and further into the beach as the time passed. 

As Lucas finished telling Connie about his wrestling match with Pearl, Connie stared at him and Kumatora, wide-eyed and silent. After a moment, she spoke. “Wow…  You two are amazing…”

 Lucas blushed, scratching the back of his head and looking down at the ground shyly. "We didn't do that much honestly." He said. "Toriel, Garnet, and everyone else did most of the fighting with the termites. We just did what we could to help."

 "You held down a termite the size of a house with your bare hands," Connie said flatly. "And beat Pearl, a Gem whose dedicated thousands of years of her life to protecting Earth, in a test of strength. And Kumatora can make fire, ice, and electricity come out of her fingertips. I think that makes you both pretty amazing as far as humans go."

Kumatora shrugged. “I guess you have a point there. Still, it’s not like it means much if we don’t know how to use these powers of ours.”

“But isn’t that why Garnet’s going to train you?” Connie asked.

 Kumatora growled in frustration. "Yeah. Too bad Goat Mom's hell-bent on making sure we can't even learn how to throw a freakin punch!"

 “Come on, Kumatora!” Frisk protested in annoyance. “I know Mom can be overbearing, but don’t you give her just a _little_ bit of a break? She’s just trying to keep you safe!”

 "Considering what you guys told us about Asriel and Chara, I can't blame her for being so protective," Steven added. 

 "You both have good points," Connie said. "But… I think I'm on Kumatora's side on this one. Even if Ms. Toriel doesn't want them fighting, they should at least learn how to defend themselves just in case something happens. If she's acting like this because of what happened to her other children, shouldn't she be making sure Lucas and Kumatora can take care of themselves if trouble comes?"

 "Oh," Steven said with a frown. "That… makes sense."

 "There are other ways to survive a dangerous situation without fighting," Frisk said stubbornly.

 "I don't think that's always true," Connie replied. "Besides, even if Ms. Toriel is taking care of you, it's not right for her to control your lives."

 “THANK YOU!” Kumatora yelled, throwing her hands up in victory. “Finally, someone gets it!”

 Connie chuckled at her. "Believe me; I've had plenty of hands-on experience with controlling parents…"

 Lucas looked at her. "Did your mother not like you training with the Gems?"

 “Oh yeah!” Kumatora cried in realization. “How did you get your parents to let you practice with a sword? I saw you with a real one when we first met the Monsters.”

 Connie's face fell. "I didn't," she replied. 

 “What does that mean?” Frisk asked.

 "I… haven't told them I'm training," Connie said, her voice heavy with guilt. "They think I'm practicing music with Steven…"

 “You’re kidding…” Frisk said in disbelief.

 “Damn girl” Kumatora nodded in approval. “You’ve got some serious guts…”

 “We are _not_ encouraging this!” Frisk protested.

 “Why are you lying to your parents?" Lucas asked.

 "Because I don't have a choice" Connie replied, turning to look at the sea with a somber look on her face. "I want to protect the Earth, and I want to protect Steven. If Mom and Dad found out what I was doing, they'd freak out. My mom won't even let me watch hospital dramas because they're ‘unrealistic,' and she almost didn't let me be with Steven just because he didn't have one mother and one father like a normal family. Can you imagine someone like that let me learn how to fight?"

“I…  don’t know…” Lucas reluctantly answered. “I don’t know them…”

“But why are you so determined to learn how to fight?” Frisk asked, folding her arms and looking at Connie and Steven accusingly. “You make it seem like learning to fight is required to be friends with Steven…”

Connie shot a glare at Frisk. “Are you saying it’s wrong to want to protect your friends?”

"No, but there are other ways to keep others save than fighting…" Frisk replied. "Fighting only causes pain to other people."

“Really?” Connie said. “Are you telling me that you could have protected Steven, Lucas, and Kumatora without fighting that Corrupted Gem.”

“We could have run away” Frisk asserted. “We could have tried to calm them down.”

"But you couldn't, and you didn't" Connie declared in an icy tone. "You tried both, and you didn't work. If Kumatora, Lucas, and Steven hadn't protected you, you would have been killed."

"You don't know that," Frisk said stubbornly.

“Are you insane?” Kumatora cried. “Yes! You would have! If I hadn’t PK Fired them, both you and Lucas would have been stabbed!”

Frisk grunted in frustration. “Well, what about when you and the Gems first met the Monsters?” she demanded. “The Gems didn’t try to talk to us, communicate with us, or learn anything about us! They just attacked us out of the blue! If we hadn’t stopped them from fighting, an innocent person would have been killed!”

Connie sighed and then stood up. “Frisk, I understand what you’re trying to say, and I even respect you for being a pacifist. But the truth is that not every situation is going to be like the one you just said. Corrupted Gems are mindless, and most of the time, you can’t tame them. And there are so many people out there who aren’t just misunderstood innocents like the Monsters. They will hurt us if we let them, and we can’t talk them down. I have to be ready for that. For Steven’s sake, and my own.”

Frisk clenched her hands, taking deep breaths to try and release the frustration she felt towards Connie. Why won’t she listen to her? Was she so cynical that she believed that she had to fight if someone didn't immediately relent? Was she willing to hurt and kill others just because she thought it was too much work not to fight? Frisk was living proof that she was wrong! No matter how determined the opponent is to kill you, there's always a way out without fighting!

_Are you really going to tell them about what you went through in the Underground? You're going to tell them about how everyone you loved tried to kill you and risk everything you worked for so that you play "holier than thou" with some kid?_

"Let's agree to disagree," Frisk said with a sigh.

To her surprise, Connie smiled at her and held out her hand. “Thank you, Frisk. I understand why you don’t agree with me about this, but can we still be friends?”

Frisk smiled back at her. “Of course, Connie.”

"So you admit you're wrong, Frisk?" Kumatora piped, to which Frisk elbowed her in the ribs.

Kumatora laughed, even as she rubbed her ribs. “So much not believing in fighting!” she giggled.

“Be polite, Kumatora.” Lucas sighed.

It was right then that Steven’s stomach started to growl.

“Did… you eat breakfast?” Connie asked.

"I wanted to make sure I met everyone today," Steven said defensively. "I forgot…"

Connie sighed. "To the Big Donut, we go then…."

“Ah man, that dump again?” Kumatora protested. “Their food tastes like shit!”

“Sorry Connie and Steven…” Lucas said apologetically. “Can we please go somewhere else?”

“But…” Steven said glumly. “There’s no other place that sells breakfast food.”

"Well the three of us have already eaten," Frisk said diplomatically. "We don't have to get anything if we go with you…"

“But then we’ll have to see _that_ asshole again…” Kumatora grumbled.

So are we going?” Connie asked.

"I guess so," Frisk said, standing up from her seat in the rocks.

“Okay…” Lucas said, getting up as well.

“Fine…” Kumatora whined as she stood up with them.

“Then let’s go.” Connie declared with a smile.

“Yay!” Steven cried, springing up to his feet as stars twinkled in his eyes.

…

 “So how did your parents react when the Monsters came to the surface?” Frisk asked as they walked down the beach.

 "About as well as I expected" Connie shrugged. "When King Asgore and the rest of his diplomatic group, they were shocked and a little scared, but they were fairly calm about it. They didn't know about them after all, but the Gems were watching them, so they weren't overly concerned about it. It's when I told them that there were thousands of Monsters in the surface besides those six that they started to panic. They've read the legends about Monsters, how they consume human souls to get stronger, how they prey and children and steal them away."

 “Why didn’t you tell them about what you saw when you met them?” Lucas asked.

Connie rolled her eyes at him. “Because I’d have to them how the Gems took me into a dangerous situation with a sword. Thankfully, I was able to get Mom to call Garnet about the situation, which calmed her down enough to at least watch Asgore, Toriel, and Frisk debate with the government. That seemed to at least give my parents some respect for your parents.” Connie gave them a coy, side-ways smile. “Mom even said that she thought King Asgore was charming and even cute. Oh, the look on Dad’s face when she said that…”

Frisk laughed. “Well, I’m glad we could make a good impression! Sort of…”

Connie chuckled with her. “After that, they’ve at least _accepted_ that the Monsters are here to say. But they're still scared. I heard dad ranting about how the Monsters will take all our jobs, and Mom's even more paranoid if you can believe it. She's so concerned that a Monster will try to kill us because of what humanity's done to them in the past. So much so I wasn't even allowed to go outside as they were moving in yesterday. The only reason they even let me out today was that I promised I'd be with the Gems, and Dad drove me all the way to the beach."

Frisk sighed. “We’re gonna have to fix that.”

Connie nodded. “Especially if we’re going to be around each other more often…”

 “We’ll figure that out later!” Steven interrupted. “Let’s just enjoy what we can do today! And we can’t do that on an empty stomach!”

 "I think the only one with an empty stomach is you…" Kumatora dryly replied. Steven ignored her, opening the door of the Big Donut and walking inside.

 “Ssssaaaaddddiiiiiiieeeee!” Steven called. “Llllllllaaaaaarrrrrrrrssssssssss!”

 “Stop yelling!” Lars shouted, standing up from his seat behind the counter, only to hit his head on the shelf above them. “Ow!”

 “Steven!” Sadie cried, running from the room behind the counter and getting behind the register. “You’re early!”

 “I had to get up early to meet my friends!” Steven said with a smile. “I had to skip breakfast, so I was hoping to get one of your _delicious_ strawberry donuts to help with that!”

 Sadie gave a weary sigh, though she was still smiling through it. "You know Steven," she said as she reached into the glass and grabbed a donut. "If you keep coming here for breakfast every day, you're going to get fat."

 “More than he already is?” Lars snorted.

 At this, Sadie grabbed a pen from the counter and threw it at Lars. Lars didn't even have time to blink as it hit him smack in the middle of his forehead. "Ow!" he went.

 "Here," Sadie grunted at Steven, glaring at Lars as she handed Steven the donut "It's on the house, thanks to Lars's stupid mouth."

 “Thanks!” Steven piped, taking a huge bite from the pink donut as he did so.

  Just then, the lights above them fizzled out.

  “Gah!” Lars cried, jumping from his seat and hitting his head on the counter once again “Ow!”

 "What the hell?" Sadie screamed and ran to the switch on the wall. She flicked it on and off several times, but the light wouldn't turn back on. 

 “Damn!” Sadie growled. “Lars, check the grid in the back room!”

 “Why don’t you do it?” Lars groaned.

“NOW LARS!” Sadie bellowed.

 Lars cried out and jumped from his seat again, hitting his head on the shelf before collapsing from his chair. “Ok, ok!” he squeaked before scrambling to the back room.

 "I'm so sorry, guys!" Sadie lamented. "We'll try to get the power on in a minute!"

 "No rush," Steven said. "It's still morning!"

 “Do the lights go out often?” Lucas asked.

 “No…” Sadie replied, rubbing the back of her head. “Don’t know what’s wrong…”

 “Uhh… Frisk?" Connie called. She was looking out the window of the restaurant with wide eyes. "Why is there smoke coming from the Monster Settlement?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, the Five Man Band has assembled! About freaking time huh? Don't worry. The chapter after the next one, they're finally going to go on a real adventure together! Just hang in there guys!  
> By the way, while I do have a name for the five children (Frisk, Steven, Lucas, Kumatora, Connie) as a group, I think it could be a little better. The names that I currently have in mind are "The Beach City Stars", "The Wayfinders", "The Jewel Chasers", and "The Sky Seekers". I think the "Beach City Stars would be something Steven would come up with, while the other three would be something Connie would suggest to sound cool. She has read a lot of fantasy and adventure books, so since they're group is dedicated to exploring magical locations, Wayfinders would tie into that. Jewel Chasers would tie into the fact that they will hunt Corrupted Gems, and Sky Seeker ties into their (specifically Connie's desire to explore and be free. Plus it sounds cool. What do you guys think?Do you guys have any suggestions? Feel free to give them in the comments!


	15. A Scientific Hiccup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk and her friends investigate the mysterious black-out, only to find an old friend at the source.  
> No crying until the end, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, folks! Don't worry! I'm not dead (though I am inside...)! I just finished my very first semester of university, so I had a hard time getting writing done as I was adjusting. This semester really kicked my ass, but it's over now! Here's a little Christmas gift to you. I know it may seem hollow, but from now on, I'll do my best to update more consistently. May the next year be better than the last!

Frisk shoved Lucas and Steven aside, running towards the window that Connie was looking out of. A considerable crowd of Monsters had gathered around a house in the middle of the hill. Black smoke billowed from the house, blotting out the sun behind the hilltop.

Frisk didn’t even wait for the others before she rushed out the door and took off at a full sprint towards the settlement.

"Frisk?!" Kumatora yelled from behind her. "What the hell?"

“Slow down, please!” Connie cried.

Frisk ignored her, running towards up the hill and towards the crowd. The closer she got, the louder the chatter from the Monsters got. They sounded distressed, and from what Frisk could see, they were all staring at the same thing.

Frisk skited to a stop, breathing hard. What in the world happened here?

“Frisk!” Connie cried as she ran by her side. Steven, Kumatora, and Lucas were close behind. “Could you at least have waited for us?”

"Sorry," Frisk said off-handedly, walking to the gathering of Monsters. "Hey!" she called. "What's going on?"

No one listened to her. The Monsters kept yelling, trying to make themselves heard above the voices of the crowd. Frisk groaned in annoyance and started to push her way through the crowd of Monsters.

“Watch it!” a tiny, bipedal cat hissed at her as she brushed by its rough fur.

"Sorry" Frisk replied once again before her hand pressed against the sticky, slimy skin of a purple slug-like Monster. Frisk cried out in disgust and surprise as she staggered forward out of the crowd. Unfortunately, the smoke was thicker there than it had been behind the Monsters, and she gagged, clasping her hands over mouth in a coughing fit.

“Frisk!” Lucas called as he pushed through the crowd and went by her side. “Are you okay?”

“Fine” Frisk managed to wheeze out. “Just need a second…” Frisk turned her head up the house in front of her. It was in a perfect box shape, with a window on each side. Frisk couldn’t see any fire from the outside, but there was smoke curling up from the windows, and she could feel the heat as she stepped closer to the house.

"WHAT THE HELL'S GOIN ON HERE?" a familiar voice bellowed above the clamor of the crowd. There was the thumping of combat boots came from the group, along with cries of surprise and annoyance from people being shoved out of a blue figure's way.

“U-undyne!” Frisk coughed out as the former Royal Guard stomped her way through the crowd of Monsters. It seemed like Undyne had just rolled out of bed because her long red hair was untied, draping past both her shoulders, and she was wearing simple red pajamas. To Frisk's surprise, Undyne wasn't wearing her eyepatch, revealing a dull grey left eye, with a faint scar etched on the top and bottom of it. Frisk couldn't help but cringe at the sight of it, and made a mental note to ask Undyne about eventually.

Just behind Undyne were Papyrus and Sans. It seemed that, unlike Undyne, they had been awake for quite some time. Both skeletons dressed in the same outfits that they had been wearing yesterday, Papyrus in his plastic armor and red scarf, and Sans in his blue hoodie and sweat shorts. Seriously, did Sans wear anything else? Papyrus had worn a hat and a t-shirt when Undyne and Alphys confessed their feelings for each other, but Sans seemed too lazy to change his clothes.

“TINY HUMANS!” Papyrus shouted at them. “ARE YOU OKAY?”

“We’re fine, Papyrus!” Steven answered. “But we need to get whoever’s in that house out of there!”

“wait….” Sans said, the grin that was usually on his face completely gone. “that house… isn’t it…?”

Before he could finish, the door to the smoking house slammed open, and Frisk heard hoarse series of coughs from the door frame. The outline of a bipedal Monster leaning on the doorframe was visible in the smoke, but it was too thick for Frisk to make out any details.

“Oh god…” Undyne gasped, her pupils shrunken in inexplicable terror. “ALPHYS!”

The figure stumbled out of the door, and Frisk's heart clenched in both relief and anxiety as she saw the Monster entirely. The Monster was short, only a little taller than Kumatora, with bright yellow scales covering her body. Her head was shaped like a lizard's, but her protruding buck teeth and thick, round glasses gave her a rather mousy appearance. The Monster's  white lab coat was stained with black patches of sot and ash, as was her face and hands.

“ALPHYS!” Undyne cried as the reptile Monster staggered towards the crowd, coughing as she went. “Are you okay?”

“I-I’m… fine…” Alphys gasped, clutching her throat as Undyne leaned down and checked her over for any injuries. "Just… an itchy throat."

“Itchy throat, my ass!” Undyne growled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her away from the crowd. “WATER AND ICE USING MONSTERS! PUT OUT THIS FIRE!”

In response, four Monster rushed forward from the crowd. One was an Ice Cap, a tiny, childlike Monster with a small torso, a head twice as big as his body, a horn where his nose should be, and a disproportionately large cone cap made of ice. The other three were Snowdrakes, drake-like Monsters whose feathers and scales shaped its head like a giant snowflake. They would have been identical if not for the fact that one, the father, was significantly taller than the other two Snowdrakes, and one of the children was wearing a pair of sunglasses.

"C'mon, let's put this fire out before my hat melts!" the Ice Cap cried as it took place in front of the nearest smoking window.

“Okay boys!” The father Snowdrake called as it ran as fast as its thin, bird-like legs could carry it to the furthest window. The other two Snowdrakes took their place at the last two windows. “On my mark. One…. Two…. THREE!”

At the father's signal, all four of the Monsters took a deep breath and blew with as much force as their lungs could expel. The temperature in the area immediately began to drop as a freezing wind rushed into the house. The smoke billowing from the windows dissipated as it whirled away in the magical wind.

“They should be done with that in a minute” Undyne muttered, before turning to Alphys. “Al… what the hell happened?”

Alphys coughed a few times more times before taking a breath. "I'm sorry, Undyne” she said dejectedly. “I was experimenting…”

Frisk was flabbergasted “And you blew up your house?”

“Wait a second!” Kumatora cut in. “Frisk, who’s this oversized lizard?”

Undyne grunted in annoyance, looking down at Kumatora like she was seriously considering punching her in the stomach again, but decided against it. “This ‘oversized lizard’ is my girlfriend, you runt!”

“Oh!” Kumatora replied, eyeing Alphys in surprise. “This is your girlfriend? Huh… I kind of wondered what kind of person you’d like…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Undyne growled.

“Nothing!” Kumatora hastily said. “If you make each other happy, I don’t care! I just… sort of thought you’d like… you know, a strong hardcore woman… You know, like you?”

Undyne sniffed. “Sorry to disappoint, but no.” The former knight then looked down over Alphys with fondness. "Personally, I like a woman with smarts and kindness. And Alphys had plenty to spare.”

Alphys shrunk a little into herself, trying to hide her face in her lab coat. “Undyne…” she whined, blushing.

“We’re done!” Ice Cap cried, and just like that the cold winds stopped. He and the trio of Snowdrakes took a little bow, and they all waddled back into the crowd of Monsters.

Frisk sighed. "Well, that's one problem gone. Now, what about…"

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!?!?” someone shouted from down the hillside.

“Eeep!” Alphys went, as Frisk and the other children turned to face the source of the sound. Sure enough, the humans from Beach City were coming up the hill, bustling in anxiety over what was going on in the hill. Mayor Dewey was dashing out in front, arms flailing madly as he gasped for breath in his strain.

"Monsters!" he panted, before doubling over on his knees and gasping for air. It took a minute for him to catch his breath and stand up straight, in which the other human citizens caught up just behind him. Frisk observed the people behind the Mayor. She saw the Pizza family that Toriel had helped yesterday. While Kofi was glaring daggers at the hillside, Nanefua and her grandchildren seemed relatively calm. Lars was scowling at the Monsters like he _really_ wanted to hurt one of them, and Sadie just looked anxious. There a few others that she didn't recognize, but they all didn't look much more positive than Sadie or Lars, and they were all staring right at the crowd of Monsters.

_You can do this, Frisk. You’re the ambassador._

“Mr. Mayor!” Frisk called, pushing through the crowd of Monsters to get to him.

“Ambassador Frisk!” Mayor Dewey cried. “You’re here!”

Frisk nodded. “I came to investigate the fire. The Monsters are putting it out now.”

"Well, that's good." Mayor Dewey sighed, relieved that at least one problem was solved. "But… what happened here? There was an explosion on the Monster's hill, and then the lights went off across the city!"

“I’m sorry…” a meek little voice said. Alphys stepped forward from the crowd of Monster, and all eyes turned toward her. “I was trying to perfect a new energy source, and… well…”

“Wait, who are you?” Mayor Dewey asked.

“I-i-i-I’m Alphys…” the reptilian Monster stammered out. “I’m… I used to be the Royal Scientist for King Asgore…”

“Alphys…” Undyne said, gently putting a hand on Alphys’s shoulder. “Calm down, and just tell us what happened.”

Alphys looked up at the former Royal Knight, before taking a breath. “Well… it sort of started a good week ago… It was when the debates about where we Monsters were going to settle. I was taking notes about everything I was seeing, about how the cars work, what humans today like to eat, the latest hit anime…”

“Alphys, stay on topic” Frisk interrupted, making Alphys flinch.

“Right….” Alphys squeaked. "Well, I noticed that cars were producing a lot of exhaust. When I asked a human about it, they mentioned that cars still ran on oil. I was shocked of course, and then when I did some research that night, I found that the most common source of power in the world is fossil fuels. It made me think, ‘Geez, humans still use that nasty, non-renewable poison to power their TV! Great Dragon! Someone's should really work on making a good, reliable source of clean energy!' When the government let us Monsters live on the Surface, I thought an excellent way to show our goodwill was to give humans something really useful, so… I decided to make that energy source myself…"

“And that was the experiment you were working on just now?” Connie asked excitedly, suddenly getting close to Alphys. “Did it work?”

Alphys blinked for a moment, before nodding. “Sort of. Since we’re too far away from Mount Ebott to siphon energy from the Core, I had to introduce a new one that was useable here. Using the underground magma wasn’t an option, so… I had to improvise.”

“Improvise how?” Mayor Dewey asked.

Alphys reached into her pocket and pulled out a white capsule with strange plugs on either side. "Before me and… the former Royal Scientist developed the Core, Monsters used either their magic to generate power… or we used Magicite.”

Connie raised an eyebrow. “Magicite?”

The capsule in Alphys’s hand clicked, and it snapped in half, revealing a silvery-white rock that was the span of Frisk's thumb. "It's magic from the natural world, condensed and solidified into stone. It can theoretically grow anywhere in the world, but it's more often found in places where the magic is denser. Since it was first discovered thousands of years ago, Monsters and human mages used Magicite as a power source to refill their magic. When we Monsters developed electric power, we developed devices to tap into the magic stored inside and transform it into electricity.”

“Wait, if electricity can be made with just these stones, why did you make the Core?” Frisk asked.

“Magicite’s really hard to come by” Undyne replied. “Takes centuries to form, and you can rarely find a lot of it at once. According to what Asgore told me, we nearly ran out after the first thousand years we were down there.”

 "Still, the magic stored inside contains a potent amount of power," Alphys said, pushing up her glass by the bridge. “Just this small amount would power a house for a year.” 

“That’s incredible!” Connie cried, and Frisk swore that she saw diamonds in the brown girl’s eyes (seems that Steven wasn’t the only one with expressive eyes). “With an energy source like that, coal would become obsolete.

Alphys sighed. “Well there isn’t very much to go around, so Magicite alone couldn’t power the world. Still, I think Magicite could power small areas without power until other sources of power are available."

“So let me get this straight...” someone growled. It was Lars, and he was scowling in absolute fury at Alphys as he stepped forward. "You were playing with a magic rock, and that started a fire and _knocked out our power_?”

Alphys cringed.  "I was testing to see if the Magic Extraction Machine was still working as it should. I was trying to get it to power my house for a few seconds, but I think I overestimated how much energy was inside the stone. It overloaded the electronics in my house, and then my TV exploded… I'm not sure why the city's power went out though…"

“Did you make sure to separate your houses’ power lines from the city’s?” Connie asked.

Alphys immediately went red at Connie's words, and she slammed her face into her palms with a moan. "Damn it…. I forgot to wire the machine so that it wasn't connected to the house's primary power system. The extra energy must have caused a power surge and traveled along the outdoor wire and into the block's transformer!" 

“So _you_ caused the black-out?!” Kofi shouted. He and a few other citizens started storming up the hill with hateful glares.

“GET YOUR ASSES BACK, YA SHIT STAINS!” Undyne roared, conjuring a spear into her hand and raising it towards the incoming crowd. Kofi and the other humans froze in their tracks, shrinking back from the fish Monster with wide eyes. “ANYBODY WHO EVEN _THINKS_ OF LAYING A HAND ON HER WILL TASTE MY SPEAR!”

Frisk's heart leaped to her throat. "Undyne, no!" she screamed, running to the former Royal Guard and grabbing her spear. Steven, Lucas, and Connie must have had similar thoughts3 because they also ran to Undyne and helped Frisk pull down her spear. Undyne tried to resist and put her spear back up, but Papyrus ran up and pulled it right back down again.

“PLEASE UNDYNE!” Papyrus begged. “DON’T THREATEN OUR NEW HUMAN FRIENDS!”

“Let go of me, you runts!” Undyne growled, still trying to raise her spear, but it seemed that for all her strength, she couldn’t resist all five of them at once.

“UNDYNE, WE’RE HERE TO MAKE PEACE WITH HUMANS!” Papyrus insisted. “THREATENING THEM WITH YOUR SPEAR IS JUST MAKING THEM SCARED OF US!”

Undyne blinked at him, her resistance stopping. “But…”  
 A chuckle from Sans interrupted her. The blue coated skeleton was walking towards the crowd, grinning at them with his wide, goofy smile. He waved at Kofi and the other angry adults, and they flinched. Sans merely chuckled at this and said in an affable manner, “sorry folks. the former royal guard gets a little testy when it looks like you’re about to hurt her girlfriend. or anyone she cares about for that matter. so don’t threaten us, and she won’t threaten you with her spear, if you see my _point._ ”

Kofi looked at Sans, Alphys, and Undyne, and he nodded, stepping back into the crowd with the other adults. Sans turned his head to look at Frisk and nodded at her. Frisk nodded, letting go of Undyne’s spear and sighing in relief.

“But what about the power?” Mayor Dewey demanded frantically. “You still cut off a large part of Beach City’s electricity!”

Alphys sighed, pressing her glasses back to her nose again. "Well, you could hire some electric workers to replace the fried wiring and check the transformer. That's what most cities would do."

“But the electrical workers live miles away from here!” Dewey cried. “And we still have no idea how long they’ll take to fix power!”

“Oh, quit your whining, ya wimp!” Undyne said. “I’m sorry that this happened, but what’s done is done. If it’s what has to be done to fix it, then that’s that!”

“But…” Dewey weakly protested, his eyes turning to look back at the crowd of humans behind him, sweat crawling down his forehead. He looked like he was seconds away from a nervous breakdown.

Frisk did agree with Undyne somewhat. What was done was done, and no amount of crying was going to make it not happen, and Frisk didn’t want to reload a SAVE over this. Still, many of the Beach City citizens were without power, and it was the fault of a Monster. If nothing was done soon, it might lead to anger between the human citizens and the Monsters, and that could hinder Frisk’s progress in creating peace between them…

“Alphys," Frisk said. "Can you fix it?"

“Huh?” Alphys squeaked, turning to look at Frisk in disbelief.

“Can you fix it?” Frisk asked again. “You have experience with power systems, and you’ve invented so many useful things, so can you fix this?

Alphys’s eyes shifted back in forth in anxiety, before settling on the ground. "Well, I…"

Before she could finish, Mayor Dewey spun around to face his citizens. “Don’t worry, citizens of Beach City. The power is indeed out, but the former Royal Scientists for the Monsters is on the case! She’ll bring our power back by sundown!”

The pupils in Alphys’s eyes turned into slits. “What?” she yelped.

“Bullshit!” Lars shouted. “That lizard freak was the one who put out the power to begin with! She couldn't kickstart a _car_!”

“Shut up, you insect!” Undyne yelled back. “Alphys is the most brilliant scientist you’ll ever meet! She developed the Core! She made a humanoid, sentient robot! She even made a pocket dimension that you can access with your freakin cell phone!"

“Undyne…” Alphys groaned in protest.

“Alphys…” Frisk said, putting her hand on Alphys’s shoulder. She leaned in close, so she could whisper in her ear. “You wanted to show the humans how useful Monsters are right? Well, here’s your chance. Are you going to take it?”

Alphys blinked at those words. She looked at the crowd of humans with apprehensive, silted eyes, considering Frisk’s words. Then, she glanced at Undyne, who flashed a toothy grin to reassure her.

With that, Alphys turned back to the crowd of humans, her gaze suddenly hardening. “I… I’ll do it!” she called. The sunlight flashed against her glasses, making it seem as if her eyes were shiny, blank white disks. “I’ll fix the power lines, and I’ll finish it by the afternoon!”

 “Yeah, right!” Lars scoffed. “You’re just gonna blow something else up!”

“No, I won’t!” Alphys insisted. “I’ll repair the power lines I broke, _and_ I’ll improve the city’s energy efficiency by 30 percent!”

"You hear that good citizens?" the Mayor called. "This smart Monster has everything under control. Please, return to your homes and businesses and let the good lady do her work! I'll return by 6 PM to make sure that everything is taken care of!"

There was murmuring among the human citizens for a moment as if they were trying to decide whether to believe the Mayor's words. After a few minutes, they started to turn around and leave, until only the Mayor, the children, and the Monsters remained on the hill.

“As I said, I’ll check on you at 6 PM.” The Mayor said. “If you aren’t finished by that time, I don’t think I can protect you.”

Undyne snorted. “As if you could even protect a paper bag. Besides, my statement stands. Anyone who tries to hurt my girl has to go through me.”

Mayor Dewey gave a nervous chuckle at that. “Please don’t hurt my citizens. It won’t reflect well on my political record… and it won’t reflect well on the Monsters either.”

Undyne grunted. “Go scamper back to whatever hole you crawled out of before you piss me off.”

“Right” Dewey quickly said, and ran down the hill, into the city below.

Alphys gave a shaky moan. “Why did I say that? There’s no way I can do all that in one day…”

“Don’t worry, Al” Undyne gently said, walking behind the lizard-like Monsters and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. “We’ll help you…” The fish Monster looked pointedly at the children. “ _Won’t we_?”

“No, we can’t!” Connie cried. “We don’t know the first thing about electrical engineering!”

Undyne looked at her flatly. “You don’t need a degree to follow instructions, kid.”

“Undyne, no” Sans said, walking back the group. “Even if they’re given instructions, they’re not professionals, and they’re just kids. Unless ya want them to have a _shock_ , they shouldn’t even be near the electric grid.”

“But whose gonna help her then if we won’t?” Undyne insisted.

"OH!" Papyrus cried. "SANS KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE! HE COULD ASSIST US!"

 The smile on Sans’ face twitched a bit. “paps, i haven't worked in the sciences for a long time…. come to think of it, I haven't _worked_ in a long time…”

“Well, here’s a great time to start then” Undyne growled, lunging forward to grab Sans by the collar and lift him level to her face.           

Somehow, the smile on the short skeleton’s face didn’t waver, and he was limp in Undyne’s grip, as if he didn’t even care that she could crush him with just her hand. “And if I refuse?” Sans said, lethargically.

“If you refuse, for the rest of your not living days, every time you doze off, I’ll slam a book in the middle of your pelvis” Undyne stated.

 This time, Frisk saw Sans cringe. “that’s a little harsh, wouldn’t ya say?”

“Tough shit, Sans” Undyne dismissed. “You were completely useless during the fight yesterday, and you were completely useless in the Underground. Time to start making up for it.”

 Something flickered behind the lights of Sans’ eyes, and for a brief second, the hair on Frisk’s arms stood up on end.

 "Sans, C'mon!" Frisk said, the light of the skeleton's eyes shifted to look at her. "If you help us do this, the humans will like you guys more, and we won't ask you to do anything else for a week. Is that fair?"

 Sans sighed. “alright kid. guess i'm _booked_ for the day.”

“Great!” Frisk clapped her hands once in delight. “Anything else you’ll need Alphys?”

 "Well… first I need to investigate the exact damages to the power grid." The Royal Scientist replied. "Then, I need some cables transmuted, and find a way to connect the Magic Extraction Machine to the power grid safely."

 “Hey!” Steven suddenly interrupted. “Pearl is great with machines. I bet she can help!”

 Kumatora grunted in disgust. “After how pissy she got this morning? Yeah, I don’t think Bird Brain is gonna be in the mode to help us with anything.”

 “Kumatora…” Lucas chided.

 "Ah, C'mon!" Steven insisted. "I know Pearl's a bit stuck up, but she's nice! Let's go ask her!"

 “It wouldn’t hurt to check” Connie offered.

 “You guys go ahead and look into that” Alphys said, turning to look at her house. The smoke that had been flowing from the windows was gone, but there were still vapors of cold left behind from the ice Monster’s wind, as well as blackened bricks at the edges of the windows left behind by the fire. “It’ll take some time before I’m ready to work anyway. Quite frankly, for a project like this, I’ll need all the help I can get.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that are Final Fantasy fans, yes. The name that the Monsters gave those magic rocks is a reference to Final Fantasy VI's Magicite. In universe though, they're actually the PSI Stones that were found in Earthbound Beginnings. The Monster just gave it a different name than the people in Earthbound Beginnings. On one last note, I think I have come up with a name for our rag-tag bunch of misfit children: The Star Seekers! The reason why they call themselves that will be explained when they come up with the name. What do you guys think? Tell me in the comments below.


End file.
